The Los Angeles Lakers are borderline desperate to get a deal done for an elite level 3-and-D wing player before the NBA trade deadline passes on February 5, but the team faces a couple of considerable obstacles in that regard.
League insider Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” identified those two problems in a report on Sunday, January 4.
“The market for such wings who can shoot from distance and defend remains quite limited, with New Orleans still resistant to trade interest in both Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III,” Stein wrote.
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The second issue is linked to the first, as Los Angeles has been priming itself for a potential run in free agency next offseason as one of just a handful of markets equipped to win the talent arms race via that pathway due to the glamour of both the city and the franchise brand.
Oh, and then there is Luka Doncic playing at the peak of his powers and just truly entering the prime of what could be among the best professional basketball careers ever once it’s all said and done.
“It’s believed that the Lakers are only going to sacrifice their projected financial flexibility in the summer — which is expected to furnish them with the ability to make significant roster changes — if they can acquire a real needle-mover at the position,” Stein continued. “Will such a player actually become available over the next four weeks and change?”
If that player doesn’t present himself to the Lakers, Los Angeles may just move forward as constructed with three on-ball playmakers in Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves trying to figure out how to best play alongside one another without cannibalizing the offense.
James, who just turned 41 years old, is a free agent next summer. Reaves can opt out of the final year of his contract in the offseason and hit unrestricted free agency, which most around the league expect him to do. That said, he is likely to return to the Lakers if they can match any offer he receives on the open market, which shouldn’t be a problem if James’ $52.6 million salary comes off the books.
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