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Three weeks away from the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5, the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t necessarily looking to make a big splash as they seek ways to upgrade their roster.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, one general manager for a Western Conference team explained that the Lakers are going to be “bargain” shopping leading up to the deadline.
“They’re going to be looking for bargain deals and they might be able to find one if they’re willing to take on long-term money,” the GM said. “But they probably need to make sure that player is a good fit with Luka to justify it.”
The Lakers do have the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber to include in a deal. That trio together is making $40.8 million this season, so that could help to build a package if a good trade offer comes along.
There are other factors that need to be considered for the Lakers front office beyond just a need for immediate help. Bontemps and Windhorst noted they are trying to do the two timeline thing by maximizing possibly the final year of LeBron James’ career, or at least potentially his final season in Los Angeles, while not doing anything that hinders the long-term ability to build around Luka Dončić.
One potential comparison for the Lakers’ approach this deadline is what they did three years ago. Rather than trying to make one big splash, general manager Rob Pelinka made multiple smaller moves to fill out the margins of their roster with Hachimura, Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
That group helped the Lakers finish the regular season strong and catapulted them to the Western Conference Finals.
Another factor to consider is there don’t seem to be many high-level players available at this deadline. There’s no indication Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. Ja Morant wouldn’t be on the Lakers’ radar because they have Dončić.
Ironically, the player who best fits what the Lakers need right now is Anthony Davis. He would be a perfect lob threat in an offense with Dončić and solves their issues with rim protection, at least when he is healthy enough to play.
But it’s virtually impossible for them to construct a deal for Davis because they can’t exceed the first apron and are right around $1 million under it.
Instead, the Lakers might have to play out this season largely with the roster they have. This group has been strong enough to get them off to a 24-15 start, despite LeBron James having already missed 17 games and Austin Reaves playing just two games since Dec. 14.