REPORTS: Rob Pelinka and Lakers’ front-office evaluate their trade options to not repeat previous mistakes of win-now situation
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Rob Pelinka and Darwin Ham of the Lakers
LeBron James and the Lakers suffered their 4th consecutive defeat as they went down 115-124 against the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas. After their latest loss, the Lakers continue to stand in the 13th position in the Western Conference. Against the Mavericks, James produced yet another offensive masterpiece, scoring 38 points on 13 of 23 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists.
Despite his outstanding performance, the Lakers lost their fourth straight game and are currently 13-20 for the season. LeBron James was the only starting Laker to record a double-digit stat tally. Patrick Beverley, Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schroder, and Thomas Bryant were all starting alongside James by Lakers coach Darvin Ham. Russell Westbrook added 17 points off the bench, while Austin Reaves scored 16.
The Lakers simply don’t stand much of a chance without Anthony Davis, who is sidelined indefinitely with a stress injury to his right foot. Since Davis’ injury, they have lost four straight games, giving up at least 124 points in each defeat. They risk falling even further behind in the standings with four games left on their five-game road trip.
Lakers suffering such heart-breaking defeats is a result of a failed front-office strategy. Many anticipated the Lakers would make a significant deal this past offseason to help bolster the squad around James and Davis after the Russell Westbrook experiment flopped miserably last season. Instead, the front office made a few unimportant decisions, the biggest of which was the acquisition of Patrick Beverley for Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Also Read: LeBron James gets mic’d up to send Christmas-Love to his family and rest of the NBA
Lakers evaluate their trade options to bring in help for LeBron James
According to the most recent rumor, the font management is content to waste the 2022–23 season and consider its alternatives for the next one. After the Christmas game, Jovan Buha of The Athletic provided an insight into the front-office approach of the Lakers, He said, “Reinforcements via trade would obviously help, and the Lakers are still evaluating their options on a dormant trade market.“
He added, “At the same time, it becomes increasingly challenging to justify trading a first-round pick if the group continues to struggle. The front office doesn’t want to compound its previous mistakes with more win-now moves.”
According to rumors, Los Angeles has previously enquired about Jae Crowder, who is now missing games for Phoenix due to a contract disagreement, or at least showed interest in him. Rumors are also suggestive of Kyle Kuzma as a potential Lakers comeback candidate. In a deal that brought Russell Westbrook to the Lakers in the 2021 summer, Kuzma was given to the Wizards.
But Pelinka and front office now may not approach their trade options with a win-now mentality. As they don’t want to waste their future and potential with a roster that may continue to struggle with new pieces added. But with a healthy Bron and AD you never know when they change their plans because the superstar duo can really ball out with some good player around them.
Also Read: Anthony Davis slapped with grievous reality by Kendrick Perkins whilst latest foot injury
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Abhivyakt Sharma
(270 Articles Published)