The Los Angeles Lakers have won three straight and hey, who knows, maybe they can still go places as currently constructed.
That may be their reality. Trying to win with the hand they have right now. While general manager Rob Pelinka is trying to make deals, the possibility exists that he may not pull one off before Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Lakers (27-25) don’t play again until Thursday night.
Either way, LeBron James is saying all the right things. When asked about moves the Lakers might need to make, he was diplomatic.
“It’s not a question for me,” James told reporters, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I love who we have in the locker room. And that’s all I worry about.”
“… We’re going to go out and prepare ourselves every single night no matter what it is. No matter who’s out on this team. No matter what.”
It’s important to remember that the Lakers did advance to the Western Conference Finals last season, where they were swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. The team they have today is basically the same.
When you have James (even at the age of 39) and Anthony Davis, anything is possible. So are the Lakers feeling pressure to make a trade? Well, yeah, maybe a little.
But the possibility exists that they make a smaller deal, adding a veteran to help for the playoffs at a low cost. From the sounds of things, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer would be OK with that.
Without a doubt, anything that leads to more winning is all that James is seeking.
