16. Los Angeles Lakers
it’s a tail as old as time. A LeBron James lead team is approaching the NBA Trade Deadline with the need to make a big move as they desperately scramble to emerge as a contender in the Western Conference. This is exactly the place where the Lakers found themselves at this point last year heading into the deadline. Thankfully, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka found a way to figure out the right move to ignite the Lakers into their second-half run last season.
While there are some interesting names on the trade block that have been linked to the Lakers, specifically Dejounte Murray and Bruce Brown, I’m not sure the Lakers can bet on the same outcome as last season. If the Lakers do land one of those two names without having to trade Austin Reeves, perhaps the season can be salvaged.
If the Lakers do come up empty-handed at the deadline, there could be some real chaos surrounding the team heading into the offseason. Either way, the second half of the season is extremely important for the Lakers.