Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers coaches during the first half against the Golden State Warriors in game one of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Chase Center on May 02, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
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With the NBA trade deadline less than two weeks away on February 8, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a team that has been mentioned more than most in terms of a team that seems willing to make a big move or two to shake things up for the second half of the regular season.
Last year, the Lakers made some moves ahead of the trade deadline that drastically improved their season, resulting in a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Even though the Lakers were ultimately swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles proved that they had made the right moves and that this team could be a force to be reckoned with during the 2023-24 campaign.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have done nothing but hover around .500 all season long, with it looking like the team needs another major shake-up to get back on track, which Jovan Buha of The Athletic addressed on the “Hoops Tonight” podcast with Jason Timpf.
Specifically, he noted the team has three courses of action: go all-in, address a weakness or two, or stand pat and focus on the future.
The biggest name the Lakers have been linked to over the past few weeks is Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks, which would almost certainly cost them D’Angelo Russell and other assets to make happen.
Even with Murray in the fold, it’s uncertain whether that would be enough to help this team turn the corner and compete with the best of the best in the West once the NBA playoffs roll around.
It’s an interesting dilemma for the Lakers as there seems to be no clear path to competing this season, but this team isn’t known to sit on its hands, so a deal will likely get done leading up to the deadline.
