Sports
Lakers Wise to Stay Patient on Trades After In-Season Tournament Win Amid NBA Rumors – Bleacher Report
It’s safe to say the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a pretty solid start to the season.
The Lakers are 14-9, currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference and most notably took home the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Saturday night.
LAKERS WIN THE FIRST EVER NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/DISzcw9Kd9">pic.twitter.com/DISzcw9Kd9</a>
The Lakers went UNDEFEATED throughout the entire In-Season Tournament 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/hMpEUZJUoe">pic.twitter.com/hMpEUZJUoe</a>
A bulk of the Lakers’ success so far this season came during the IST, as the team is just 8-9 outside of tournament play. Still, this run shows that the team is capable of handling high-pressure games, something that is also supported by the team’s run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022-23.
Still, many successful teams tend to tinker with the lineup during the middle portion of the season and it’s safe to assume that the Lakers will be pretty active in any trade talks.
However, it appears the team is currently content with staying put. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported that the Lakers “want to see what they really have before wading into trade talks.” Los Angeles likes what it sees with Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the focus may be on adding a fifth player to solidify the starting core.
Head coach Darvin Ham has been experimenting with lineups that lack a traditional point guard, utilizing Reaves as the smallest player in the lineup. Much of this has come because of Gabe Vincent, who has been out since Oct. 30, but trading for some guard depth may be in the cards.
The possible availability of Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine also could turn some heads for the Lakers, but it may be best to avoid any major moves. While there is no proven positive impact from an IST Championship, it very well could signal that the team is poised for postseason success.
The Lakers appear to be gelling and developing solid chemistry. Bringing in another star player could mess with that and change the feel of a team that has already shown that it can rise to the occasion and get it done.
That’s why avoiding a major move is probably for the best, at least until issues arise. Developing the current core and allowing them to build off this accomplishment will paint a clearer picture for the franchise and that is what is in the Lakers best interest.
