The Los Angeles Lakers' record in the 2023-24 season has changed a bit bit, and their record is now less than 50%, which also puts them out of the top eight in the West. It's hard to imagine that with LeBron James and Anthony Davis remaining healthy and outstanding, they could drop to 10th in the West.
It seems inevitable that the Los Angeles Lakers will make some big trades before the trade deadline ends on Feb. 8. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still among the top 10 players in the league, but the Lakers have no more players to step up to support the two.
Many fans** called on the Lakers to cut head coach Darvin Ham, but after the Lakers defeated the Clippers, Ham's dismissal crisis was lifted. Moreover, the owner of the team, Jeanie Buss, also seems to be very supportive of Hamm, which makes it a little difficult for Hamm to get out of class.
At present, it is almost impossible for the Los Angeles Lakers to try to lead the Lakers to success this season with a new coach, and the Lakers might as well think about how to trade players to strengthen them. In the 2022-23 season, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals with Pelinka's extreme trade operation. I don't know if Pelinka will be able to complete some more shocking trading operations in the 2023-24 season.
The American media suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers reach a trade agreement with the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Lakers could get the Trail Blazers' best two veterans, allowing LeBron James and Anthony Davis to get more help on the offensive end.
Los Angeles Lakers send: D'Angelo Russell, Hachimura, Vincent, Filno, 2025 second-round pick (Clippers), 2027 second-round pick (Lakers).
Portland Trail Blazers send: Jeramy Grant, Brogdon, Rayan Rupert
The Trail Blazers got rid of Jeramy Grant's big contract and got more rebuilding chips
The Trail Blazers also started their rebuilding after sending Lillard away in the offseason. For the Trail Blazers, the most important thing they need to do right now is to send away Jerami Grant and Malcolm in a trade to give more playing time to young players and more young players and future draft picks.
D'Angelo Russell is averaging 14 points and six assists per game this season. The Trail Blazers have no shortage of guards and could send D'Angelo Russell away in a secondary trade. Hachimura is averaging 11 points and 3 rebounds per game this season. The Trailblazers could consider keeping him, after all, he has an Asian market. As for Vincent, the Trail Blazers wanted to find a way to trade, and the Lakers gave him a three-year contract of about $33 million, and he only played a few games in the new season. Hachimura, Firno and two future draft picks are what the Trail Blazers want the most.
The Los Angeles Lakers have found better helpers for Anthony Davis and LeBron James
D'Angelo Russell has reportedly been put on the trade table by the Lakers, which may be why he recently declined to give a postgame interview. The Lakers traded D'Angelo Russell, mainly because his performance this season did not meet expectations, and there were some injuries, and the Lakers had to give up D'Angelo Russell again for the sake of Zhan Mei's championship dream.
Six for two, winning Jerami Grant and Brogdon, can be said to be a sure win. Jerami Grant is averaging 21 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game this season. At the age of 29, he is still one of the best strikers in the league. Brogdon was traded by the Celtics to the Trail Blazers in the offseason and averaged 15 points, three rebounds and five assists per game this season. He was one of the Sixth Man of the Year last season, and he was the centerpiece of the team's starting team during his time with the Pacers.
If the Lakers can acquire two experienced veterans, they will definitely be able to strengthen the tiger. However, for the Lakers, their biggest problem is head coach Darvin Ham's on-court command ability. We can see that he can average 2-3 timeouts left per game, and when the Lakers are on the backs, he often doesn't call a timeout.