Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are worried about the team’s ability to make significant upgrades via trade with its movable first-round picks.
While the squad traded for veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith last month, more help would go a long way.
On Friday, Charania’s colleagues Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps provided a look into the team’s mindset regarding the trade market with the Feb. 6 deadline coming up on the horizon. They categorized L.A.’s desperation level as “low.”
“The Lakers’ recent discussions with teams show little sign of aggression, sources say, and those actions speak to their concern level about their stars at the moment,” Windhorst and Bontemps wrote. “The Lakers have shown a reticence to put their future first-round picks into trades in recent seasons, and there’s no indication that position has shifted.”
Aside from Charania’s aforementioned report, James and Davis have also made comments in the media that have indicated that they believe the team could use more help.
Big man Walker Kessler is one name that’s been consistently linked to the Lakers in trade rumors in recent months. He’s been more or less a double-double machine with the Utah Jazz in the 2024-25 campaign, and he and Davis would make for quite the intimidating frontcourt duo on both sides of the ball.
But the Lakers reportedly keep running into a problem whenever they reach out to the Jazz about the center. The asking price has consistently been very high for Kessler.
While Los Angeles’ campaign has been full of ups and downs, the team is amid one of its more impressive stretches of the season. The Lakers are winners of four of their last five contests and on the heels of maybe the defining win of their season so far.
The defending champion Boston Celtics came to town and played the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, and Los Angeles won that game by 21 points.
The Lakers scored the ball by committee, as three players on the team dropped 20-plus points, and Davis led the way with a team-high 24 points while shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Los Angeles will try to pick up its third win in a row with a victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James stand out as the Los Angeles Lakers' top two options…
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been open about the fact that he is…
Ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a deal…
The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the dynamic of their team in a major way…
The 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend has now come and gone. It culminated on Sunday with…
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has kept Father Time at bay for years and…