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The Los Angeles Lakers roster looks incredible, as the front office did wonders during the NBA trade deadline.
They changed the landscape of the squad, so general manager Rob Pelinka and co. deserve credit. The Lakers are 9-5 since the trade deadline, including a stretch where they won seven of nine games. They also had a miraculous 27-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks and three straight wins against defending champions Golden State Warriors.
The acquisition of D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt and getting rid of Russell Westbrook have been fruitful so far. The Lakers are the first-ranked defense in the league since the trade deadline, an area they struggled in before the trades. So, it's no surprise that the team wishes to continue with this roster next year.
As per Los Angeles Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers' dreams of acquiring Kyrie Irving are over, and now they're content with their roster. Speaking to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype Podcast, Buha said:
"From what I’ve been told, they’re not going to be pursuing Kyrie Irving this offseason. … To my knowledge and to what I’ve been told, the Kyrie ship, I think, has sailed. You never want to say never. That could easily change, but as of right now, their plan is to run this (team) back."
The new Los Angeles Lakers roster has defense, shooting, youth, energy and high-IQ players, things that were absent from the recipe last season. They're tenth in the West right now, but analysts and pundits are still suggesting that they can be a force in the playoffs. We have simply never seen so much confidence in a tenth seed before.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis both have a year left on their contracts with a player option for 2024-25. It's clear that the Lakers are expected to be contenders next season as well, so it only makes sense to re-sign the players they have just signed.
Current Los Angeles Lakers roster is reportedly the best one in years
The Los Angeles Lakers roster does look better than their squads from the last few years. One could argue that this is the most talented and capable roster LeBron James has had during his Lakers tenure so far.
Jovan Buha spoke about the atmosphere in the Lakers' locker room after the trade deadline. He said on the aforementioned podcast:
"From what I’ve been told by my sources around the organization, they wanted to run this situation (current roster) back. It’s looked good so far. They’ve won a lot of games…This is my third season on the beat, and this is the best chemistry and vibes I’ve seen around the team."
He emphasized how the team has won in the absence of James, which was never the case earlier. The non-LeBron minutes on the floor were disastrous before the trade deadline, but the team is, in fact, pulling together wins and climbing the West standings. Buha continued:
"They’ve won a lot of games. They’ve done a lot of winning without LeBron James. That’s something that’s kind of been under-discussed. The non-LeBron minutes were always an issue for the Lakers going back to his first year in LA and the championship season."
James' return might be all the Los Angeles Lakers need to grab a playoff spot. They are tenth in the conference but just two games behind the sixth seed.
Guess the Lakers players!
