NBA Trade Rumors: D'Angelo Russell remains on the block as Lakers explore upgrades

NBA Trade Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers are still attempting to trade D'Angelo Russell as they eye a roster upgrade before the start of the season.

It's been a bit strange to see how inactive the Los Angeles Lakers have been so far this offseason. It hasn't come with effort as the Lakers did put on the full-court press for Klay Thompson earlier this summer before losing him out to the Dallas Mavericks, but the fact that the Lakers didn't attempt to make a big move for Dejounte Murray (who was eventually traded to the New Orleans Pelicans) and aren't really in the mix for Brandon Ingram (who most do expect to be traded before the start of the season) is telling.

I'm not sure if the Lakers are content with their roster at the moment, but they are showing unexpected patience. For a team that doesn't have much "time" to capitalize in the LeBron James era, the Lakers have approached the offseason with no desire to make an aggressive play. At least not yet.

All that said, there continues to be signs that the Lakers are open to improving their roster. For example, according to a recent report, the Lakers are still attempting to trade D'Angelo Russell. How aggressive they've been in those attempts remains to be seen, but the fact that they're open to a deal makes it clear that they may not be done with their offseason roster moves.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have to wait to make a move

That said, I can't help but wonder if the Lakers may have to wait until closer to the NBA Trade Deadline to make a big move. Considering how dry the trade market is at the moment, with the exception of Ingram and Zach LaVine, two players who the Lakers haven't shown much interest in, Los Angeles could be playing the waiting game for their time to strike.

And you can't really blame the Lakers. At this point, you'd imagine that Los Angeles is only going to make a move that's going to elevate them to contender status. It would make little sense for the Lakers to make a trade just for the sake of making one, wasting assets in the process.

With the limited assets that they have at the moment, it's almost as if the Lakers have one shot to get things right. And, at least for now, they appear to be a team that is keeping their options open.