NBA News: The only players the Lakers would trade their first-round picks for

One didn't have to be Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich to realize that the Los Angeles Lakers had a flawed roster. But Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss slept on their laurels and failed to do what needed to be done.

The Lakers are holding on to two future first-round picks and have refused to include them in any trade talks. Those picks are expected to be quite valuable, as they'll be of use shortly after the LeBron James era is done.

That's why the front office has been so passive in terms of acquiring more talent. And, apparently, they're only going to change that stance in case a superstar shockingly becomes available.

NBA Rumors: Lakers Will Only Trade Their Picks For A Superstar

(via Jovan Buha - The Athletic)

"These Lakers are far from title contention — far enough that even a Turner/Hield deal won’t get them all the way there. But they’re not that far from making the postseason, especially if they execute a trade sooner than later. Once there, with James, Davis and upgrades like Hield, Turner, and/or others, it’s easy to envision the Lakers having at least a puncher’s chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

The longer the Lakers wait, the more options there are, both in terms of available players and suitors. There’s still a chance, however slim, that a star becomes available closer to the trade deadline, be it Washington’s Bradley Beal, Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine, or Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. Those players would certainly be good enough to get the Lakers to cough up both future first-round picks. The flip side is the Lakers run the risk of the team falling out of the playoff and/or Play-In contention if they wait too long, especially since 15 of their next 23 games are on the road.

The Lakers are still a few weeks away from their self-imposed trade timeline, but the clock is ticking. Their chances of getting serious this season hang in the balance."

Truth be told, it's kind of sad to see a team waste one of the final years of LeBron James' career like that. But their title window has already closed, at least with this roster, so it is what it is.