The Los Angeles Lakers sit atop the Western Conference standings. To this point, they have exceeded preseason expectations. Luka Doncic is one of the favorites for MVP and leads the league in scoring. However, they now have some injury concerns.
Both Doncic and Austin Reaves got hurt against the Bucks. Doncic tweaked his ankle, and Reaves has a foot injury, as well. While JJ Redick says Doncic will be fine, the jury is out on Reaves. If they want to make a move as insurance against injuries, Bobby Marks has found a way to do it.
Lakers Could Aggregate Salaries to Shop for an Upgrade
ESPN’s Bobby Marks says that if the Lakers want to make a move, they could do so by putting the salaries of Jaden Hardy and Jarred Vanderbilt together.
“From a roster standpoint, Los Angeles could look to package the contracts of Jaden Hardy ($6 million) and Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million) for a player earning $26 million or below. Despite being hard-capped at the first apron, the Lakers are $8.1 million under and are allowed to take back additional salary,” Marks writes.
Most of the main moves that the Lakers would consider making were made in the offseason. They brought in three new starters and a bunch of new bench guys. If they were to make a move, it would be to help them survive some injuries to their star players.
At this point, it is unclear how bad Reaves’ injury is. The trade deadline is still months away, so the Lakers could decide to wait on how the rest of the season unfolds before deciding to make a move. They don’t have many draft assets to use in a trade, either.
Right now, Los Angeles is looked at as one of the favorites in the Western Conference. With how well Doncic is playing and the addition of Walker Kessler, it has them believing they can win a title. Still making a move later in the year when teams figure them out isn’t out of the question.
Los Angeles is a Real Contender to Come Out of the West
As of now, the Lakers have the best offensive rating in the league. Doncic’s talent has been keeping them at that level so far, as he his playing the best basketball of his career so far. If he continues that level of play, there is no reason why LA can’t win the West.
Of course, that assumes that he stays healthy for most of the year. He has yet to finish a season in Los Angeles healthy. The Lakers rely on him so much offensively that they have to have him in the lineup in April to be viewed as serious contenders.
Hardy and Vanderbilt don’t offer much to the Lakers at this point. If they wanted to move them, they would need to go after an expensive player who is either older or falling out of favor with his team.
Analyst Says Lakers Could Package Jaden Hardy, Jarred Vanderbilt for Upgrade