Will the Lakers Make Any Moves Before The Deadline?
The Los Angeles Lakers were looking to kick off the second half of the season strong, and they did, by taking down the Indiana Pacers in their first game after the all-star break.
There have been questions raised about the roster's talent as currently constructed in being able to win their second championship in a row especially after the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden via trade from the Houston Rockets in January. The Nets have now doubled down and added even more depth with the acquisition of former Detroit Pistons All-Star forward Blake Griffin, reuniting him with Lob City partner DeAndre Jordan.
With the uncertainty surrounding the health of star big man Anthony Davis, the Lakers role players have been the topic of discussion as of late. Many of the new players that arrived in Los Angeles this season have failed to live up to the expectations they brought when they joined James and Davis.
Wesley Matthews, Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell have all seen their points per game dip quite a bit from last season. The three were brought in during free agency to essentially replace the production lost from Danny Green, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. All of them have not found the success that Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office envisioned.
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The Lakers still have who some consider to be the best player on the planet, LeBron James, who is well into his 18th season at the age of 36 and still an MVP frontrunner. As of March 14th, James is averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on the season. They currently sit in third place, trailing only the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz in the Western Conference standings.
With Anthony Davis expected to miss significant time heading into the playoffs, the team has been rumored to add a couple of pieces to the puzzle in their quest to repeat. Names that have come up in discussion are P.J. Tucker, Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee, two of which can play the position Davis does, to shore up the frontcourt. The problem now is that they are currently on teams and would either need to be bought out by their current team and become a free agent or the Lakers would have to make a trade for them.
LeBron James is on record saying that he believes the team is currently good enough to win after being asked at a presser about the current situation. James is known for having his teams make the necessary moves during the deadline as a means for a deep playoff run. Last season he said something similar, and the team would go on to win the NBA championship in Orlando, Florida, in the bubble.
With all that being said, there seems to be a lot more competition this season as out East, the Nets, Sixers and Bucks look to contend and come out of the East this season. Although the West is sure to have something to say about another Lakers title as the Clippers, who share an arena with them, look formidable once again this season, along with the league-leading record team, the Utah Jazz having something to say as well.