The Los Angeles Lakers revamped their entire roster before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. The moves they made, starting with Russell Westbrookâs trade, drew contrasting takes all over the league.
Half of the season is already on the books and it seems like their new roster just doesnât mesh well altogether. Some of the players they brought in are underperforming and donât seem to be a good fit at all.
So, with the trade deadline zooming in, some around the league believe that the Lakers will be the most aggressive buyer in the market. And, according to ESPNâs Stephen A. Smith, they will get some big moves done.
ESPN: Stephen A. Smith Says The Lakers Will Make Big Moves Before The Trade Deadline
âSeeing the Lakers step up and knock off a good Jazz two nights after getting blown out by the Denver Nuggets was a step in the right direction,â Stephen A. said.âBut it ainât enough. Because this has happened all season long with the Lakers. Good games follow bad games follow mediocre games.â
âLack of effort, no consistency to be found. Itâs why they are a .500 team over halfway through the season,â Smith added. âOne day, one play doesnât resolve any of that. Change has to come to this Lakers team and change will come before the deadline. Trust me on that. Itâs going to be even bigger and louder than Westbrookâs dunk.â
Adrian Wojnarowski Says The Lakers Donât Have Any Valuable Assets
Nonetheless, thatâs not going to be easy. In fact, Adrian Wojnarowski doesnât see it happening at all. Truth be told, the Lakers donât have any enticing or valuable assets to move in the deadline:
âI think, for the most part, the Lakersâ improvement is going to have to come from within,â Woj said. âThey just donât have tradable assets, especially with so few sellers in the market. There are going to be other teams who can offer those select few sellers better offers than the Lakers will be able to.â
No team will be willing to just give the Lakers a hand and help them dominate the West. The Lakers canât make a big offer and theyâre more likely to find luck in the buyout market than via trade.





