The NBA trade deadline is in 15 days and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be mired in mediocrity.
At 23-18, the Lakers enter Wednesday in sixth place in the Western Conference and just one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks (23-20) for the final non-Play-In Tournament spot in the playoff picture. There are seven teams separated by just three games in the west, however, from the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers (24-18) to the 10th-place Phoenix Suns (21-21) and 11th-place Golden State Warriors (21-21).
After defeating the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 3 to move to a season-best six games above .500 at 20-14, Los Angeles dropped three contests in a row. The team has since responded by winning three of its last four, however, including Tuesday’s 111-88 rout of the lowly Washington Wizards, where the Lakers allowed a season-low in points.
Despite the recent stretch of play, Los Angeles’ two biggest superstars are reportedly worried with the squad’s chances at taking the necessary steps to get better.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James ‘Growing Concerned’ With Lakers’ Ability to Make ‘Significant Roster Upgrades’
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that nine-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis and four-time MVP LeBron James are “growing concerned” with the Lakers’ ability to improve by the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
“James, a four-time champion, and Davis, a one-time champ, have expressed that they want the franchise to make moves to contend for a championship, with the co-stars believing the Lakers are potentially a piece or two away, sources said,” Charania wrote.
Following his team’s 116-102 defeat against the Clippers on Sunday, James notably said “That’s how our team is constructed, we don’t have room for error. … We don’t have a choice. That’s the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball.”
As Charania noted, Los Angeles hasn’t had the services of either big men Jarred Vanderbilt or Christian Wood all season, due to knee injuries, though the former is slated to make his debut on Saturday.
The Lakers have first-round picks available in 2029 and 2031 that they can include in a trade. The senior NBA insider added that according to his sources, the Lakers have “done their due diligence in gauging trade interest around the league, and are open to using their tradeable first-round picks for players who are a fit for this iteration of the Davis-James team as well as for several years to come under (head coach JJ) Redick.”
Los Angeles has made one trade during the 2024-25 campaign, acquiring forward Dorian Finney-Smith and shooting guard Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 29 for point guard D’Angelo Russell, small forward Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks.
Milton has played sparingly with the Lakers, while Finney-Smith has posted 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 23.3 minutes per contest on 41.9% three-point shooting across eight games off the bench. The latter had his best performance with his new squad against Washington on Tuesday, scoring 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-6 from downtown.
Upcoming Road Trip Will be Crucial to Lakers’ Deadline Plans
Los Angeles will go from playing the worst team in the Association in the Wizards (6-36) to taking on one of the best squads in the Boston Celtics (30-13) on Thursday.
The defending champions have been vulnerable lately, however, and now may be the perfect time for the Lakers to steal an upset.
The Celtics are just 4-4 over their last eight games, with three losses by double digits included during the span. Thursday night’s rivalry showdown between Boston and Los Angeles will also be the second half of a back-to-back for the Celtics, who play the Clippers on Wednesday.
After its meeting with Boston, the Lakers have a crucial six-game road trip leading up to Feb. 6, before playing hosting Golden State on deadline day.
Los Angeles travels to the Bay Area for Vanderbilt’s expected return on Saturday, before an easy trio of games on paper at the Charlotte Hornets (11-28), Philadelphia 76ers (15-27) and Wizards next Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. James, AD and company close the road trip New York Knicks (29-16) and Clippers (24-18) on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4.
If the Lakers can go at least 4-3 leading into the trade deadline, they should be full buyers and try to get their superstars at least one more championship.
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LeBron James, Anthony Davis ‘Growing Concerned’ With Lakers: Report