Should The Lakers Make A Big Trade With AD Out?

by Ben Cooper

The Lakers have a tough decision in front of them, with Anthony Davis suffering an injury that will hold him out for at least a month. LA sits in 13th place in the Western Conference at 13-18.

While the loss of Davis is detrimental, they have been able to string together two wins in their last four games.

They defeated the Nuggets on Friday, even after Davis exited at halftime. This was a critical win over one of the best teams in the West, which shows the Lakers can still be competitive. Following it up with a victory over the Wizards only strengthens that notion.

They were then blown out by the Suns, as LeBron, Westbrook, and Reaves were all out. They then suffered another loss to the Kings, with Westbrook and Reaves out again. Despite the losses, the LakeShow could go on a run without Davis.

Getting Westbrook and Reaves back in the lineup would go a long way in helping them get back on track.

With an important stretch in front, they should make a trade to strengthen the roster. The Lakers have been linked to many trade targets over the past few weeks but have yet to make a deal. There are multiple routes that Pelinka and the front office could take. They have shown interest in trading for a different star to put around LeBron and AD, with players like Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan. Trading for a star would require them to deal Westbrook, who has been tremendous in his role as the 6th man. 

The more realistic options include Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, Cam Reddish, Evan Fournier, Doug McDermott, Mo Bamba, and Terrance Ross.

It’s an extensive list of players that the Lakers have shown interest in, and the front office needs to be decisive on who to make a move for.

While Davis is out, Darvin Ham’s group could remain competitive. Pelinka needs to decide what direction to go with the franchise. LeBron committed to the team in the offseason, signing a two-year $97 million extension. It’s time for Pelinka to show the same commitment and go all-in to build a championship contender.

There are two ways to go about the situation at hand. Pelinka can trade the draft picks and upgrade the roster to compete or tear everything down and trade the stars for draft capital and young players. 

At the moment, Pelinka is doing nothing, which leaves the Lakers in the middle. It’s time for him to make a decision, instead of delaying it, or the team and the fans will be stuck between being a contending team and a rebuilding team.

1 comment

  • Strong take. Jeanie & Rob have to either SHIT or het off the pot.

    Nefarious

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