In recent weeks, there has been a feeling the Los Angeles Lakers were figuring things out. After they started 2-10, they won 11 of their next 17 games, including victories over contenders such as the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
Within the team, there has been a feeling that perhaps they just need one or two more complementary players to have a real shot at championship contention.
Now, with Anthony Davis expected to miss at least a month with a foot injury, that bubble of optimism has popped.
Some are wondering if the Lakers will still pursue a significant trade to upgrade their roster knowing that Davis’ injury could single-handedly prevent them from making the playoffs.
LeBron James was asked if he felt Davis’ injury would affect the Lakers’ thinking as far as making a trade, and he deflected the question.
.@dylanohernandez asks LeBron James on if AD’s injury might make front office even more reluctant to trade draft picks pic.twitter.com/UfEl4bZVJT
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 19, 2022
“That’s not a question for me,” James said. “I have no idea. When I’m playing, I show up, I prepare to work, do the work, get my guys ready to win a basketball game. I play the game and I’m not in the front office. So, we’ll see. But I’m focused on the games and trying to win basketball games, especially when I’m on the floor.”
The team’s most valuable trade assets are its 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks, and it reportedly doesn’t want to part with them unless it would be getting a very good player or two in return.
There has been a festering perception that James and his agency, Klutch Sports, hold a disproportionate amount of sway and power over the Lakers’ front office. Whether it’s true or not, the Lakers will have some difficult decisions to make over the next seven weeks or so.
