Given how poorly the Los Angeles Lakers have fared this season, most insiders and fans predicted they'd be quite aggressive in the NBA trade deadline.
Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker were often pointed out as the most likely trade candidates. However, the day went down without any news and Frank Vogel's roster looks exactly the same as it did 24 hours prior.
The Deals Didn't Make Sense, Says Rob Pelinka
The Lakers failed to strike any deals as GM Rob Pelinka didn't feel the offers that were there made any sense in the long run:
“It can’t be just a decision about what is best for today or best for what happened right after a loss,” the GM told reporters, per The Atheletic. “It has to be with the long term in mind and the short term. So we just didn’t find a deal that we felt made sense from all of those different perspectives.”Lakers Still Have Faith In The Big 3
Moreover, the front office still believes that Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook can perform at the highest level together when given enough time to develop chemistry:
“I think if you took any three All-Stars in the NBA and your body of work was 15 games, I think that would probably be a small number of games to make any ultimate conclusions on,” he said.Thus far, their Big 3 has only been on the court together in 17 games due to injuries.
LeBron James Says The Deadline Took A Toll On The Team
The Lakers have fared quite poorly over the past week or so. And, according to LeBron James, the uncertainty about the roster and the tread deadline may have had a lot to do with that:
“Obviously it’s something that’s weighing on this group that we’re trying to all get through,” James said, per Lakers Nation. “Almost feels like it’s like fog, just fog in the air and we’re trying to see what’s on the other side of it. I obviously take today, take tomorrow like any other day and if something changes, then I’ll approach it.Time To Focus On The Buyout Market
So, now that the deadline is far behind them, the Lakers can focus their attention on making a late playoff push and signing a couple of veteran pieces in the buyout market, according to Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter.
Names like Goran Dragic, Dennis Schroder, and Tristan Thompson emerge as potential candidates for the purple and gold.
]]>The Inquisitr
