The Los Angeles Lakers are one of eight NBA teams that Joel C. Cordes says need to shake things up immediately.

The trade deadline isn’t until March 15 , but the Lakers are stale right now with no hope in sight.

They’re stuck in a Catch-22 situation: their only attractive assets are the superstar pieces. As Kobe Bryant remains untouchable, swapping Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol could bring back someone like Dwight Howard, but even he doesn’t solve their point guard, explosiveness or depth problems.

The New York Knicks are in a similar situation, as they quickly realize that superstar forward tandems are rarely successful if the backcourt isn’t equally strong. Amar’e Stoudemire or Carmelo Anthony should be moved for a top-flight point guard like Deron Williams.

Playoff hopefuls like Portland Trail Blazers need to find another spark without breaking the bank.

Rebuilding teams like the New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards need to get their foundations in place, rather than wasting time with veterans, imbalanced rosters and equally imbalanced players, respectively.

Finally, the Orlando Magic and New Jersey Nets must decide whether they can lure a superstar in time to keep their own icons from leaving town during the offseason.

There’s more than a month left before the trade deadline, but the clock is already ticking for these eight franchises.

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