The Lakers have been trying to make big trades this offseason.
Despite their efforts, the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t managed to secure any new players through free agency or trades. They aimed for stars like Jerami Grant, Kyle Kuzma, Bruce Brown, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Wendell Carter Jr., but nothing has worked out yet.
NBA insider Anthony Irwin shared that other teams are aware of the Lakers’ tough situation and are making negotiations harder. “In each case, sources close to the Lakers and around the league feel the executives on the other side of negotiations inflated the asking price in hopes of taking advantage of a front office that needs to do something,” Irwin reported.
The Lakers lost Taurean Prince to Milwaukee Bucks and Spencer Dinwiddie to Dallas Mavericks. Now they only have rookies Bronny James and Dalton Knecht as new additions. After losing to Denver Nuggets in five games during the first round of 2024 playoffs, Darvin Ham was fired as head coach. JJ Redick has taken over despite having no coaching experience above youth level.
Challenges Facing The Lakers:
Redick played 15 years in NBA with various teams including Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers but now faces a new challenge as a coach. The team also tried signing Klay Thompson but he chose Mavericks instead.
“Another major factor in the Lakersโ stagnant summer: a league that feels it can take advantage of what it considers an inept and desperate organization,” Irwin mentioned. Fans might think this is just another example of bad luck for their favorite team.
DโAngelo Russell picked up his player option worth $18.7M for 2024-25 season but so far no trade deals have come through for him either.
What do you think about these moves?
