Having already made one big midseason acquisition in recent weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers may be ready to call it a day.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the sense around the NBA from league personnel is that the Lakers are “more likely” to either stand pat or make a “half-measure” trade involving second-round draft picks rather than going all-in. The Lakers have two future first-round picks currently available for trade (2029 and 2031), but it doesn’t seem like they will be moving those picks in exchange for a high-impact player.
Wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith was the Lakers’ big addition on the trade market last month. Though Finney-Smith has been playing off the bench and is averaging a mere 5.9 points per game since he was acquired, the Lakers seem to think that they already have enough in him (along with the expected returns of Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood from injury).
As is tradition ahead of the NBA trade deadline, which falls on Feb. 6 this year, the Lakers have been linked to several top names on the market. But at a very average 22-18 this season, they probably realize that it is far better to hold onto most of their future assets rather than to sell out just to chase whatever is left of a 40-year-old LeBron James’ tenure with the team.
