The Los Angeles Lakers don’t remotely resemble an NBA contender.
Given that the one and only goal for any team with LeBron James on the roster is a championship celebration, that needs to change.
Their best bet for rounding into form is upgrading their roster between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline. With limited assets and a shortage of difference-makers on the market, that won’t be easy. Still, this is what the Lakers signed up for the second they brought in James, so they must turn over every stone in hopes of making a miracle happen.
With the deadline bearing down on us, let’s preview and predict what lies in front of the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers’ collection of assets isn’t empty, but it’s limited. That’s especially true if they have no interest in dealing Austin Reaves, which it sounds like they don’t.
While Reaves “isn’t entirely untouchable,” per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, he might as well be. According to Buha, L.A. would need “a bona fide third star…Lauri Markkanen, for example,” to let go of Reaves. Before any Lakers fans get their hopes up, a Markkanen trade isn’t happening—not involving L.A. or anyone else.
So, with Reaves off the table, the Lakers are limited on what they can offer. Their best asset by far is a future first-round pick, which could be in 2029 or 2030. Beyond that, it’s probably their ability to offer future pick swaps.
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