Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is not concerning himself with potential trades amid L.A.’s uneven start to the 2023-24 season.
According Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation, James said the following when asked Wednesday night if he believes the Lakers need to make any personnel moves:
“I don’t play fantasy basketball. What I do is focus on the guys that’s here and in this uniform, and show up to work every day. It’s too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need or what we don’t have. I don’t do that to my teammates.
“We’ve been putting in the work and that’s what we got to continue to do. We like the way we’ve been playing the last couple of games. We got to continue that Friday verse Brooklyn.”
The Lakers have been fighting for their playoff lives through the first half of the season, and they currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference at 21-21.
If the season were to end today, the Lakers would own the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament, but they have only a one-game lead over the upstart Houston Rockets.
The Lakers had to go through the play-in tournament last season as the No. 7 seed with a 43-39 record, and although it is not an ideal path, Los Angeles beat the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors before falling to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
A flurry of moves made by general manager Rob Pelinka helped the Lakers get to that point last season, as he brought in several pieces to complement James and Anthony Davis, including Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
The Lakers find themselves in a similar spot this season, as LeBron and AD are carrying the load and could potentially benefit from a third star to play alongside them.
Austin Reaves, Russell, Hachimura, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince and Co. have contributed, but none of them have really taken over games when James or Davis aren’t at their best.
Los Angeles likely already has all the depth it needs, so unlike last season, any moves it makes should likely be for a single impact player rather than bringing in multiple role players.
It is unclear which star players the Lakers would be willing or able to acquire, but the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are two multi-time All-Stars who have been rumored to be available all season long.
Of course, it is possible the Lakers will hit their stride and go on a run that will render additional moves unnecessary, and it can be argued that the run has already started.
L.A. has defeated a pair of Western Conference playoff teams in the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks in back-to-back games, giving the team the best vibes it has had since winning the in-season tournament.
The Lakers will look to keep it rolling Friday against the Brooklyn Nets, and if they continue to win, perhaps Pelinka can be convinced that the team is capable of going on a deep playoff run and contending for a championship as it is currently constructed.
