The Los Angeles Lakers made one trade already, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets a few weeks back. But is that enough?
Probably not, if you’re talking championship contention. And that is likely the goal of any team with LeBron James.
But per Shams Charania of ESPN, James and co-star Anthony Davis are “growing concerned about the Lakers’ ability to make significant roster upgrades with their two tradeable first-rounders.”
The Lakers (23-18) look very average at the moment, a team that would be lucky to get past the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. That’s assuming they could get out of the first.
Everyone knows this. But the Lakers’ options ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline are fairly limited.
“James, a four-time champion, and Davis, a one-time champ, have expressed that they want the franchise to make moves to contend for a championship, with the co-stars believing the Lakers are potentially a piece or two away,” Charania wrote, citing sources.
James hinted at these concerns after a blowout loss to the crosstown LA Clippers on Saturday.
“That’s how our team is constructed, we don’t have room for error,” James told reporters. “We don’t have a choice. That’s the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball.”
In other words, there is a sense of urgency under first-year coach JJ Redick — to do something, anything, to held the 40-year-old James get another title shot.
“The Lakers have done their due diligence in trade interest around the league, and are open to using their tradeable first-round picks for players who are a fit for this iteration of the Davis-James team as well as for several years to come under Redick,” Charania wrote.
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The amount of talent that has been shipped out to placate LeBron’s scapegoating narratives for the past number of years is staggering.
If you can’t play with other talented players because your ego is threatened, this is what you’re left with.
Anyways the Lakers will still get good under the table deals, and waiver wire / buyout jackpots. This is all just the usual drama to continue the usual narrative to escape regular season accountability. Par for the course.