Lakers could take surprising approach at trade deadline?

Nov 23, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need to make a major move or two if they want to contend for another championship with LeBron James, but it does not sound like they are committed to doing that.

Anthony Davis has been ruled out indefinitely with a foot injury he suffered last week. That has left LeBron once again having to shoulder almost the entire load. He has scored 30 or more points in seven consecutive games, but the Lakers are just 3-4 during that span. They fell to the Dallas Mavericks 124-115 on Christmas Day despite James scoring 38 points in 34 minutes.

James was once again frustrated following the latest loss, which dropped the Lakers’ record to 13-20 on the season. He said he believes there is a path to the team turning things around but asked, “How many times are you going to try to dig yourselves out until it’s too much dirt on you?”

Many have assumed that help is on the way. The Lakers are as far from contending for a title as they were a year ago, if not further. LeBron obviously wants the team to make changes before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote on Monday that the Lakers may not be able to “justify trading a first-round pick if the group continues to struggle.”

Buha said L.A. is still evaluating their options but the front office does not want to compound past mistakes with more moves aimed at winning now.

The Lakers only have two first-round picks — 2027 and 2029 — that they fully control to use for trades. They traded one of their previous picks for Russell Westbrook, and most teams would want them to attach either the 2027 or 2029 pick to offload the point guard. It makes sense that L.A. executives would think long and hard before giving up more draft capital in a move that does not make them a championship contender.

A recent report shed some light on where the Lakers stand with regard to a potential Westbrook trade. Fans cannot be too optimistic about the direction of the team. Even if he won’t show it, LeBron probably feels the same.