After winning the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers have dropped 10 of their last 14 games. A Jan. 3 loss to the Miami Heat dropped them below the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 10, and for many fans, the tailspin has led to dreams of a significant potential trade deadline move.
But it appears shaking things up in a big way isn’t quite what the Lakers front office has in mind right now—it’s just the opposite, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst stated that the Lakers “don’t want to have to make a big move” and said if the front office does make a significant deal, it will probably happen while “kicking and screaming.”
The Lakers don’t want to have to make a big move, they prefer to retain their depth and the one last first-rounder they’re allowed to trade. They sure don’t want to trade Reaves and his good contract or trade three players for one like they did with Westbrook. They believe in the formula they have, which is a cadre of long defenders supporting future Hall of Famers. Yes, they can’t shoot and it’s a problem. Yes, their defense has fallen off and it’s a problem. But if they end up doing something significant, it will probably be kicking and screaming. Keep that in mind when evaluating your visits to the trade machine.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Rob Pelinka and company won’t make a move or two at the deadline. It’s important to note that Windhorst is referencing the potential of the team doing “something significant” in his breakdown. But even beyond that, hope across all of Lakerland is likely that the team simply figures it out, and can even potentially build off its most recent win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
There’s a lot for the Lakers to sort out, but fortunately, the NBA trade deadline—Feb. 9—is still roughly one month away.
