The Lakers were apparently not too interested in pursuing a trade deadline deal with the Philadelphia 76ers who offered the Lakers their number one pick back. The move highlights weaknesses of LeBron James’ supporting cast, which makes it clear why he wanted to bring his best friends from Cleveland along with him this summer.
The “lebron james accomplishments” is a painful example of the Lakers’ lack of success this season. The Lakers have had a very disappointing year, and LeBron James has been left with an ineffective supporting cast.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their worst defeat of the season on Wednesday night. They did nothing to correct the situation on Thursday.
The Lakers came out of the trade deadline with the same roster they had when they entered it. Things’s difficult to believe they desired it that way at their age of 26-30. Especially with LeBron James in Rob Pelinka’s ear, urging him to improve in every way he can.
It’s not as if the deadline was a lonesome one. In fact, it’s the polar opposite. However, LA’s lack of action demonstrates that the rest of the league sees little value in this poor Lakers team.
At the trade deadline, the Lakers were unable to make a deal.
Rob Pelinka, who is now on a conference call, said that the Lakers attempted different methods to strengthen the club, but that:
“In the end, we didn’t find a deal that had a net positive impact on the team’s short-term and long-term performance, which are both factors we evaluate.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 10, 2022
The Lakers have been the subject of trade rumors almost every day over the last several weeks. LA has been connected to huge stars like John Wall and Jerami Grant, as well as role players like Cam Reddish and Alec Burks, in no particular order. Even so, none of the potential players will be wearing Purple and Gold at the end of the day.
That’s not to suggest they weren’t attempting to strike. It’s been widely known that the Los Angeles Lakers tried to locate a buyer for Russell Westbrook. His dismal performance and a $47 million contract next season, though, made him a difficult sale. In addition, the Los Angeles Lakers were utilizing Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn as their key trade pieces in order to acquire an impact player.
The 2021-22 season hasn’t gone as planned for LeBron and his teammates. Because of the Westbrook deal with the Washington Wizards, the King was instrumental in remaking the roster. However, it was because of this fragile roster that LA started the day eighth in the Western Conference.
The supporting cast in Los Angeles has shown to be useless.
The Lakers just lacked Cleveland’s in-between contracts (players earning $5-16 million).
It’s called arithmetic, like I explained last week!
Limited draft assets didn’t help matters either. https://t.co/sGPHU2L4tH
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) February 10, 2022
If there’s one takeaway from this deadline, it’s that Los Angeles’ assets are worthless. Just ask the other 29 teams if you need further evidence.
The Lakers have spent weeks attempting to reach an agreement with Horton-Tucker and/or Nunn. Both players have youth on their side, as well as contracts that LA might shift to make room for a bigger contract. However, neither has done much to improve their trading worth. THT’s once-promising progress has stalled, and Nunn has missed the whole season due to a bone injury in his knee.
Westbrook, on the other hand, is a different story. Only bottom-feeders like the Houston Rockets are capable of challenging the former MVP. However, they, too, need some kind of incentive, such as draft selections. And the Lakers don’t have many of those to give, since a 2027 first-round selection isn’t worth much to most teams.
In terms of the remainder of the roster, you’re looking at a group of veterans that are playing for less than their market value. Any squad with Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, and Avery Bradley has a negative value.
In retrospect, it’s clear that the Lakers would be unable to make a move. Their two highlighted assets are either operating poorly or are not accessible. The bulk of their bench is made up of retired vets. They also don’t have enough draft money to dupe a club into getting Westbrook, who is overvalued.
After a defeat, it’s no surprise that LeBron wants to go home and drink wine.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers may still have hope.
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Sure, the 10th of February was the last day to trade. However, it is not the last day for clubs to make a move in general.
The Lakers will most likely prepare for the buyout market. Look for Pelinka (and LeBron) to attempt to persuade a lot of veterans to join LA, much as they did last season with Markieff Morris and Andre Drummond. Two such choices are Goran Dragic and Tristan Thompson, both of whom are anticipated to be bought out after going to the non-contenders.
Nunn’s return might potentially aid the Lakers. Despite the fact that his comeback has been postponed until next month, the former Rookie of the Year finalist may inject some much-needed life into an otherwise drab squad.
Regardless of the transactions, the Lakers still have LeBron and AD. The squad would not be 26-30 if the two superstars had not missed a combined 38 games.
There’s no denying that Los Angeles has done nothing to instill confidence. And, with a silent deadline, the path to atonement will be much more difficult.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics, while Spotrac provided contract data.
RELATED: The Lakers are wasting LeBron James’ greatness by trusting Russell Westbrook blindly.
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