The Lakers’ strong start has them in a spot where the front office may already be thinking ahead. Los Angeles has won six of its first eight games, and while the trade deadline is still months away, the roster could still be on the radar for an upgrade.
The issue is simple: the Lakers do not have much left to offer. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes pointed to the team’s limited flexibility in a potential deal, writing, "The Lakers put everything that wasn’t nailed down into the package for Walker Kessler, so their only movable first-round asset is a distant 2032 swap.
"At this point, with so much draft equity out the door, it might actually make some sense to just fire off the rest of it. A team this committed to the current core might as well just go all the way in,"
Hughes identified the Lakers’ 2032 first-round swap, Jaden Hardy, and Jarred Vanderbilt as the team’s top three trade assets. That leaves Los Angeles in a narrow lane if it decides to chase another move.
If the Lakers believe they’re a real title contender, the logic is to at least check the market, especially if Hardy and Vanderbilt are already mostly out of the rotation. But Hughes also noted the obvious catch: the Lakers are short on expendable pieces, and Vanderbilt may not even carry positive value on his own.
"Of course, that strategy only makes sense if the right player becomes available. Even then, the Lakers are woefully short on non-essential players to send out in a trade. Hardy and Vanderbilt come closest, though the latter might not be a positive-value asset on his own,"
For now, Hughes’ view is that the Lakers will probably have to "sink or swim" with what they’ve got. With so little trade ammo, that may be the path they’re forced to take.
And with Luka Doncic leading the way, the Lakers will still be a team nobody can ignore.
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