While all their fans based their last hopes on the deadline, the Lakers did nothing at all on that fateful Thursday. A real fiasco, which is nevertheless followed by a new plan from the front office of the Angelinos.
Despite a very unfavorable payroll with limited trades and assets, the Lakers seemed almost certain to be at least agitated in the market on Thursday. LeBron James in person had pushed in this direction after the rout against Portland. Balance sheet? Nothing at all. No. The flat calm. Not a single deal, despite a few discussions here and there, especially with Houston.
After the fiasco, the Lakers have a new plan
The King having himself admitted that the roster built as such had no chance of winning the title, what is GM Rob Pelinka’s plan now? According to Dave McMenamin, who covers the purples and golds for ESPN, the California franchise will fall back on the buy-out market.
The Lakers will monitor the buyout market, sources told ESPN. With a full 15-man roster, would need to waive a player in order to add a player.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 10, 2022
The Lakers will look into the buyout market, sources tell ESPN. They have a full roster, at 15 players, which means they would have to cut someone in order to add a rookie.
The problem is that the buyout market is fertile with fairly modest players, like, for example, Enes Freedom who was cut by the Rockets after being traded there. A clue to the interest of this plan: when they learned of this desire of the Lakers, Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson burst out laughing on television…
After a totally failed last summer, and which The Athletic already describes as one of the biggest managerial fiascos in NBA history, the Angelinos do not really seem to be on the way to catching up. And inevitably, Rob Pelinka suffers from the comparison with the 2017-2018 season, during which the Cavs blew up their roster before reaching the Finals:
In 2018 the Cavs were 31-22 when Cleveland GM Koby Altman traded six players and a pick in three separate deals to completely overhaul the roster and CLE made it back to the Finals. Today, with the Lakers at 26-30, LAL’s front office completed zero trades to change up the team
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 10, 2022
In 2018, the Cavs were 31-22 when GM Koby Altman traded 6 players and a pick in three separate deals to completely rebuild the roster. Cleveland went to the Finals. Today, the Lakers with a 26-30 record, the Lakers front office made zero moves to change the team.
Failed in the standings and on the deadline market, the Lakers will try to save what can be saved on the buy-out side. But don’t expect high-sounding signatures… or signatures that can redefine the purples and golds of a real contender.
