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The LA Lakers' disappointing season is about to come to an end. The Lakers have been eliminated from the play-in tournament as of Tuesday, so there's no opportunity to make the playoffs.
After entering the season with championship aspirations, the Lakers (31-48) have had a nightmare run. The team dealt with a number of injuries, but the makeup of the roster was also a problem.
On ESPN's "First Take," analyst Stephen A. Smith didn't hold back when talking about the disappointment of the Lakers:
“The Los Angeles Lakers have been an utter disgrace to the game of basketball. … Bunch of individuals living in La La and enjoying the sunshine.”
LA Lakers will miss the NBA playoffs
Once the nightmare season for the LA Lakers ends in the next few days, the focus will be on what the organization tries to do to get back on track. It won't be easy, as the team is going to have to hurdle a number of difficult situations, especially its lack of salary cap room.
Star forward Anthony Davis battled knee and ankle injuries that caused him to miss 40 games. They are 17-23 with Davis in the lineup. He played in only 36 of 72 last season, and his injury was costly in the first-round exit. Many will wonder if the team could look to attempt to trade him.
As LeBron James gets older, as well as his pending free agency following the 2022-23 season, time is running out to make a run to the playoffs.
Veteran guard Russell Westbrook is expected to have a player option for more than $47.0 million.
The Lakers are going to have to get creative if they want to try to improve their roster.
Los Angeles will also be without their first-round selection, as it's headed to the New Orleans Pelicans or Memphis Grizzlies because of the Davis trade in 2019.
The Lakers haven't won two games in a row since Jan. 7, when they won the last of a season’s best four-game winning streak. At the time, Los Angeles was 21-19. The Lakers went 10-29 since. They are also 4-17 since the All-Star break. That includes their current seven-game losing skid.
The Lakers' best record was 16-13 on Dec. 15.
The team has had two losing seasons, missing the playoffs both times, in four with James.
