Throughout the sports coverage industry, publications are advising their insiders to dig into any trade rumours they can find, and in particular, the more often they refer to the Lakers, the better. Now, as we approach trade negotiation season, it was impossible to ignore the absence of any real buzz.
So what gives? How can we get this far in a season without making a trade, LeBron James constantly berating the front office for its inaction, and still sitting here in relative silence?
I think I should mention here that the Lakers are reportedly among the teams still interested in Cam Reddish. But even with that in mind, how interested are you really if the price of Kendrick Nunn and the second round is still not something you’re willing to bite into? As for me, though, given the opportunity to face the Lakers, you’d think there would be more than that.
So, again, where are the rumours coming from and what should we take away from this silence? Well, there are several factors at play:
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Tim Connelly, Mark Lohr and Alex Rodriguez broke the NBA. If Rudy Gobert can get 37 or any number of first rounds, then almost any player who influences victory in any way is probably worth at least one – at least that’s how sales managers will feel. Add to that the impact of play-in play and smoothed lottery odds on the trading market before this stupid trade, and it will probably be a while before things return to normal.
Anthony Davis injury
Yes, there is growing optimism for Davis’ return, and if he returns to the level he was at before he fell and James plays like he does, then the Lakers have a very real chance of breaking into a legitimate position in the playoffs. -off. . From there, it would be hard not to favour them in just about any seven-game series, depending on what their supporting lineup looks like.
With all that said, given how little Davis needed to miss what would likely be more than 20 games in a row, and since we’ve seen him come back from injury only to be back on the disabled list, no one can seriously argue that feels completely confident in its availability until the end of the season and in the playoffs. It’s hard to imagine the Lakers making any significant move until they see Davis on the court and assess the likelihood of him staying there.
Sports executives are eternal procrastinators
A semi-serious, mostly joking question: if there was no trade deadline, would there be no seasonal trades?
Executives in professional sports love to spend time on their tasks more than anyone other than college students, and even there it’s probably a push. Buyers are now waiting for price cuts. Sellers hope that more buyers will keep calling so they can keep their prices the same. Regardless of the endgame, you just don’t see teams making moves until it’s necessary.
Take, for example, Reddish. The Knicks only traded a first-rounder for him last season. Now they are ready to part ways with him over contracts that match his salary (because they should) and second-round picks. For New York, why sell it now given how low its cost is? For other teams, given how his shares have fallen, why not wait to see how much further they fall?
So, we are waiting.
Now, about the lack of new information about the Lakers’ efforts, one of two situations could arise. Either the Lakers have cut off the flow of information because they as an organization (seems unlikely), or there is simply nothing to report. In fact, there are so many ways to say the Lakers are offering some combination of Patrick Beverley, Nunn, or, in some cases, Russell Westbrook, plus perhaps one of those two first-round picks for (insert good player here).”
Another possibility, painful as it is to think about, is that help will not come. Maybe the Lakers don’t make a fuss because they don’t make the noise they need. They came up with excuses at every turn not to make a deal. Maybe we just didn’t get the message.
In any case, as soon as there is new information to transmit, we will have something to talk about. Until then, we can sit back and admire what Gobert has stopped in every other deal in the rest of the league.
This week on I Hate Basketball, Harrison Fagen and I discuss all of this, Reddish, and the listener who sees through my tricks and ruins my entire career.
You can listen to the full episode below, and in order not to miss the show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast on iTunes, Spotify, stapler, or Google Podcasts.
For a quick overview, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irvine summarizes the previous day’s news and prepares you for the day ahead at LakerLand every weekday morning on Silver Screen & Roll Podcast Feed.