According to the latest reports, the Lakers are willing to trade their first round picks for the right kind of player, a message fans have heard before.
Following their Christmas Day win against the Warriors, the Lakers sit at four games over .500 and in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. In fact, in a rarity from recent seasons, they currently sit above the play-in race, though that’s only on a tiebreaker as they share the same record as the No. 7 seed Clippers.
Still, it’s been an impressive start to the season overall, particularly considering the roster shortcomings and injuries they’ve battled.
As the trade deadline nears, the focus will once again shift from the court to vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the front office.
The Lakers have draft picks that can be dealt and mid-size contracts that make it easy financially to match about any contract in the league. The pressure then falls entirely on Pelinka to find a deal to improve the roster and give LeBron James a legitimate chance in one of his final seasons in the league.
As always, though, Pelinka and the Lakers seem to be hesitant. They claim they are willing to trade the picks but also lay out nearly impossible qualifiers.
On Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN appeared on First Take and reported that the Lakers are open to making a trade, but only for a player that will help them now and in the post-LeBron years.
“My sources in that Lakers front office tell me… they’re open to moving that [3 first-round picks] in a potential trade but they want a player or players that they feel can get into this iteration of this team now.”
Shams Charania on First Take.pic.twitter.com/xxqJ3u89CU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 26, 2024
If this is a message you feel like you’ve heard before, it’s because you have.
Back in 2022 when the Lakers were considering whether to trade Russell Westbrook and multiple first round picks to improve the team, they reportedly only wanted to do it for an All-Star caliber player.
At the trade deadline in 2024, Pelinka spoke about wanting to use draft picks in a deal for the “right deal” in the future. Over the summer, Pelinka said he’d use the draft picks for the “right deal.” And prior to the season, he went really vague and said they’d use the draft picks in a deal so long as it brings them “sustainable Lakers excellence.”
So, if it feels like a broken record with this latest reporting, it’s because Pelinka and the front office have been saying the same thing for two years and, more specifically, has done so without making any deal for the entirety of 2024.
There’s only so many times the same thing can be repeated over and over before fans lose interest in what you have to say. The same applies for repeating the same lines and backing it up with no action.
The Lakers have spent an entire calendar year looking for the perfect deal that doesn’t exist. In the meantime, they’re in danger of wasting another season of LeBron and an MVP-caliber season from Anthony Davis.
The search for perfect is going to mean a potentially good or great deal is going to pass them on by. Pelinka and the front office can’t continue to search for perfect if it doesn’t exist. This team is worth investing in, no matter if it’s a perfect deal or not.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.