According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Los Angeles Lakers remain steadfast in their trade evaluation process, adhering to their established criteria.
“I’ve heard the Lakers have been patient with the trade approach relatively and it’s been more of them waiting toward that February 6 date,” Buha said at the 1:05:45 mark in the newest episode of his Buha’s Block podcast. “If the right deal comes up sooner they will make it but it’s seemingly been more than kind of waiting this out until mid-to-late January on the early side.”
Lakers are in no hurry to make much-needed moves.
Prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka indicated the team’s openness to exploring potential blockbuster trades. However, he emphasized the need for thorough evaluation, setting a timeline of approximately 30 games to assess the current roster’s strengths and weaknesses.
The Lakers apparently came across the right deal. On its face, Pelinka’s deal sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, addresses a need for non-Lebron James/Anthony Davis offense and sturdiness on defense, as well as alleviating Russell’s high expense.
But the Lakers’ top needs still need to be addressed, so Buha’s assertion remains relevant.
The Lakers have been strongly and consistently linked to Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, as well as other big men, such as Walker Kessler and Robert Williams III. They have also expressed interest in several backcourt players, most recently the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox, as well as, Kyle Kuzma of the Wizards and the Utah Jazz’s Collin Sexton.
The Lakers’ recent strategic changes have fueled a resurgence resulting in five wins over the last six games. That along with the addition of Finney-Smith allows Pelinka more time to find the right fit to push its competitive edge to its highest level. So at the very least this move buys them more time.