Lakers’ Offseason Inactivity Leads to Need for New Players, In-Season Trade

After an early season of ups-and-downs, the Lakers are a team on the brink. They’ve shown several times this year they’re capable of winning big games, but their record reveals they are still incomplete. They need help, and there’s only so much time to get it.

While Los Angeles is not out of the playoffs by any means, being 3-7 in their last 10 does not inspire a lot of confidence moving forward. They have high playoff aspirations, but are unlikely to reach such heights with their current roster.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis are doing everything they can this far into the season. The problem is keeping up that type of production as the games go on is no easy task. They need help on both sides of the ball, and their bench is currently not coming through.

Luckily, the Lakers are one of the highest profile teams in all of sports. Bringing people to their city has never been an issue, and the team has more than a few pieces they can move if needed. They just need to get out of their own way.

Self-Inflicted Wounds

It’s easy to blame the Lakers current issues on poor play, but most of them step from the 2024 free agency period when. Rather than shaking up their roster after a rough playoff exit against the Denver Nuggets, they kept almost everyone around.

That decision didn’t seem like a huge deal at the time. Now, it’s coming back to bite the Lakers. Los Angeles’ defeat sparked a lot of commentary, but their big stars, as well as their win in 2020, showed that they have enough firepower to win games.

Unfortunately, being good isn’t good enough in the NBA. The league only gets more competitive each season, with the top teams strengthening their rosters as much as they can. If a franchise wants to win a championship, they need to surround their superstars with as much talent as they can.

The Lakers decided against that method. They re-signed LeBron James and Max Christie, but then passed on or ignored most of the top free agents. They also made the mistake of letting Spencer Dinwiddie walk, which is a big reason James and Davis are stretched so thin.

The Need for a Role Player

On paper, Dinwiddie has never been a huge player. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists on the Lakers, and seemed to be declining from his earlier seasons. However, he was also a strong hustle player who rarely made mistakes and gave the stars time to rest.

Now, he’s producing similar numbers on the Mavericks and doing a great job of filling in for the injured Luka Doncic. He’s averaging 13.9 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in the nine games Luka’s been missing, and he’s scored 20 points three times during that stretch.

That type of stopgap is exactly what the Lakers need. They went 3-6 in those same nine games, losing four of them by 25 or more. They’re bleeding from numerous wounds, and can’t seem to stabilize.

Los Angeles is now buyers, looking to build more support wherever they can on the roster. They didn’t make a move this past year, and it’s costing them. They need to make amends.

A (Not-So) Suitable Addition

There are several big name players popping up in trade talks all around the league. The deadline is still a long way off, but executives are already trying to make moves and see who might be on the move come February.

One such player is ex-Lakers draft pick Brandon Ingram. A few top teams have already inquired about the lanky guard who’s averaging 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds a game for a Pelicans team that’s going nowhere this year.

Though he’s been producing, the Pelicans did not extend him last summer. That means they are unlikely to re-sign him, and will entertain a trade offer when the right one comes along.

Out of all the teams interested, many speculated the Lakers could bring Ingram back as a way to beef up their size and add another down-low threat to the roster. However, reports show he’s not what the team necessarily wants.

Los Angeles’ front office has stated they want more frontcourt depth, stronger perimeter defense, as well as another star to pair with James and Davis. Ingram is good, and could fill a Dinwiddie-sized gap, but he won’t bring the power the Lakers want.

Getting a bigger name is not going to be an easy task, but the Lakers do have two first round picks to move if they get desperate. Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell have all come up as potential trade pieces as well.