After such a miserable start to the 2022–23 season, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are, against all odds, on a run right now. The Lakers have won their last five games, with their most recent triumph coming on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings in a game that was exceedingly close. However, James continued to strongly imply that the Lakers head staff should take every possible step to enhance their squad (perhaps through trades) in order to make an even greater postseason push.
However, not much has changed in the Lakers’ trade plans as of late. Amid other teams’ interest in the Lakers’ most coveted draft assets, namely their unprotected 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, the purple and gold remain hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade that would bring them Bojan Bogdanovic or Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, according to Marc Stein, despite being good fits alongside LeBron James.
If the Lakers were to pull off a trade including their high-value draft assets, they appear to be only willing to do so in exchange for a legitimate All-Star talent like Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, who has been on a tear as of late, or Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who is currently out with an injury.
Stein added that the Lakers still find Bojan Bogdanovic’s price on the trade market to be too steep for their liking. The Detroit Pistons are still asking for one of the Lakers’ unprotected first-rounders in exchange for the Croatian sharpshooter. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ stance hasn’t changed on Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, even with the two playing a huge part in the Indiana Pacers’ strong 2022-23 season.
At the end of the day, something’s got to give for the purple and gold. LeBron James, despite his stellar play as of late, isn’t getting any younger. Moreover, Anthony Davis remains a frightening injury risk. It may be inevitable for the Lakers to make a move, but the only question now is just how much more willing will they be in the next few months to part ways with the assets they’ve been clutching onto for the longest time.
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
