NBA Rumors: There's one jarring sign that suggests that the Los Angeles Lakers aren't serious about making a big NBA Trade Deadline move.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers continue to leave much to be desired as a contender in the Western Conference, there's one assumption that is constantly made about the team - and it's the fact that they would like to make a big move at the NBA Trade Deadline. However, I'm not quite sure how much of a reality that is for the team - especially if one recent report is accurate.
According to a recent report from Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley, the Lakers remain unwilling to include Austin Reaves in any trade talks, specifically centered around a potential deal for Zach LaVine. If the Lakers remain uninterested in trading Reaves in what would clearly be an upgrade to the team, I can't imagine the Lakers are open to trading him at all at the NBA Trade Deadline. And if the Lakers aren't serious about including Reaves in trade talks for a star-level talent, I'm not sure how committed the team is toward making a big move at the trade deadline.
The Los Angeles Lakers remain at a crossroad
Even though Reaves has seen an uptick in production so far this season, I still believe that it would be in the best interest of the team to include him in their pursuit of another star-level talent. At least for now, the Lakers' front office doesn't seem to agree. And the more that remains the case, the less confident I am in the Lakers actually making a big move at the trade deadline.
Without the willingness to go all-in on a potential big move at the trade deadline, the Lakers are very much at a crossroads. If the Lakers aren't going to make a win-now move at the deadline, it could bring several questions about this future, with the biggest of such revolving around LeBron James.
The more the Lakers struggle, the more it's difficult for this team to hide the fact that they may be ready for a retooling of the roster. And one path that the Lakers could go down includes pivoting away from a LeBron build and beginning to retool or reload the roster with Anthony Davis as the centerpiece.
The Lakers may not be ready to have that type of conversation but it's certainly something they may have to consider sooner rather than later. Los Angeles is eventually going to have to choose a direction and the more they hesitate to make a big move, the more it appears they may be inching closer to the reality of moving away from LeBon James.