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Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Lakers' trade-deadline approach revealed

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 12/2/23

The Los Angeles Lakers are widely expected to upgrade their roster before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan have been rumored targets of the front office in recent weeks. However, there has been no reporting on potential trade discussions.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers will likely be patient in their pursuit of upgrades. The Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and a handful of other teams around the league could become sellers in the new year. That is when the Lakers are expected to strike in the trade market.

"The Lakers plan to take a patient approach to the trade market, team sources not authorized to speak publicly tell The Athletic, and would prefer to see what their group looks like whole before making a monumental roster decision," Buha wrote. "They’re still evaluating their needs and will continue to monitor the league, including potential fire sales in Toronto, Washington, Utah, Brooklyn and/or Charlotte that could make useful rotation players available."

New State of the Lakers: 10 storylines through 20 games

— How the team is evaluating itself
— Their approach to the trade market
— The Clutch King
— AD’s jump shot
— The fifth starter
— Lineup data
— The league-worst 3-point shooting and morehttps://t.co/Rk545yChLr
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 2, 2023

Rob Pelinka doesn't have many draft assets to negotiate with. However, he has done a fantastic job of acquiring younger talent over the past 12 months. Jarred Vanderbilt, 24, and Rui Hachimura, 25, are two shining examples of young players who have drastically improved their stock around the league since joining the Lakers. If Pelinka is willing to part with a talent like that, he would likely have the basis of a trade package for a potential third star.

Of course, D'Angelo Russell could also find his name being floated around in trade talks. Whatever Pelinka decides to do, it's highly unlikely the Lakers roster will look the same by mid-February as it does now. Pelinka and the Lakers are committed to contending for a championship. They want to give LeBron James another opportunity to add to his ring collection. And they want to continue the legacy and tradition of being one of the league's most storied franchises.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, that means being willing to mortgage the future in the hope of winning now. While that method works, recent seasons have proved the downside that comes along with the championship parades.

Multiple players could become available on the trade market in the coming weeks. Finding someone who fits with LeBron and Anthony Davis won't be easy. However, if Pelinka can get it right, and the Denver Nuggets' injury issues persist, the Purple and Gold could be the new favorites to make it out of the Western Conference in 2024.

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