Lakers Rumors: 5 Signs Mitch Kupchak Is Prepping for Trade Deadline Strike

This is going to be one of the most important seasons in Los Angeles Lakers history.

There sadly won't be another significant championship run, but rather a test on how the the entire franchise handles themselves in the face of adversity once again. After making it to the NBA Finals in three of the past four seasons, reaching that peak now seems like an impossibility with Lamar Odom on the way out and the team suddenly looking a whole lot older and vulnerable.

With four members of the starting lineup at 32 years old or older, the Lakers don't have that many years left in them before they become irrelevant and left without an answer.

I've learned to never doubt Kobe Bryant, but even he and Pau Gasol are going to have their hands full in carrying a team where Metta World Peace, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher are set to lead the team.

No Odom means that Matt Barnes and Steve Blake are the team's top contributors. If that doesn't tell you that the team isn't going too far in the postseason, then you have serious delusions of grandeur.

However, I wouldn't bet against the judgment of Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers' front office. He's already said that big deals could be on the horizon, and with the Lamar Odom trade occurring so quickly, it gives some speculation as to what card could possibly up the sleeve of one of the league's finest general managers.

Let's take a look at five signs that prove Kupchak could be making a big-time deal by the trade deadline.

Dwight Howard Still Hasn't Been Completely Ruled out

With Chris Paul gone to their division rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers now must look elsewhere to benefit their team.

Face it: The current outlook of the Lakers has this team possibly finishing behind the Clippers and not even making the postseason in the future. Those dark days that the team experienced for a short while post-Shaq and pre-Gasol may return due to the front office's ineptitude in making decent draft picks and capable trades.

A trade like the one they acquired Pau Gasol with will never happen again. For the good of the NBA, trading Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and an unproven Marc Gasol for a proven star like Gasol must never occur if the NBA wants to remain a relevant league.

Instead, the Lakers are going to have to make up for legitimate trade offers in order to obtain Orlando Magic Dwight Howard. Word is coming in that the Magic have taken Howard off the block, but any player is within grasp if you offer up the right pieces or enough money. That includes the All-Star center.

The Lakers have more pieces to offer to the Magic than any other team in the NBA. The New Jersey Nets may be offering up the likes of Brook Lopez and a few others, but that doesn't compare to the possibility of the Lakers potentially giving up Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in return for the services of the league's top center.

With Mitch Kupchak announcing that big deals are in the future, a trade involving Howard or any other star should not be ruled out.

Recognizes the Team Will Need Help

As many of us resist believing that the Los Angeles Lakers may actually be on the decline, we have to recognize that this squad isn't the same team that won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

The 2011-'12 team just doesn't compare. There's no depth on the bench, they're all a little bit older, and the lack of consistency outside of Kobe Bryant is staggering. That lack of consistency includes Pau Gasol, who is coming off an unbelievably dismal postseason where he averaged 11 points and seven boards per game in the team's two series against the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks.

For Gasol to post up those numbers against defenders like David West and Dirk Nowitzki is proof enough that he's not as volatile as many expected him to be. Pau was a driving force as his sudden aggressiveness in the post was the key to the Lakers success in the three years prior, when they made the Finals each time.

It's not going to be long before Kupchak realizes that the Lakers are going to need help and fast. He may not make a deal for Dwight Howard, but he will be making some sort of deal to make up for the lack of depth and consistency.

If the Lakers organization continues to believe that Andrew Bynum will turn into a 20-10 player or rely on an inept Derek Fisher as their starting point guard, they will never get off the snide and will end up a lottery team.

Already Mentioned Potential of a Big Deal

Perhaps the most convincing argument in the saga of Mitch Kupchak potentially making a large deal is the statement straight from the horse's mouth.

The Lakers general manager made an announcement following the nullified Chris Paul deal that a big deal is still on the horizon. Kupchak later went on to say that, "There are no guarantees, though. There never can be when trades are the topics."

While he did second guess himself on the "no guarantees" part, Kupchak did put the premise out in the air that a trade could happen.

Judging by how well this Lakers organization has been run since its creation, I wouldn't bet against him making the correct deal. Even in their darkest hours, the Lakers have managed some of the most insane trades at the last minute, which includes obtaining Pau Gasol in order to keep Kobe Bryant satisfied and in Los Angeles.

Like I said before, Dwight Howard isn't the sole option for this Lakers team and they will be looking for deals elsewhere if the Magic aren't willing to. History will tell you that Kupchak and the Lakers organization in general have made the correct moves in the past.

I wouldn't bet against it happening again before this team crawls back into the dark ages.

Lamar Odom Was Moved Awfully Fast

Speaking of that Kobe Bryant deal, it could have very well meant the end of the Lakers dynasty.

The proposed trade would have had the Chicago Bulls dealing Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in order to obtain Bryant and have the team compete in a division that the Cleveland Cavaliers were set to have a stranglehold over.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, they didn't agree to all of the provisions, were unwilling to part with a few key pieces and ultimately resulted in the trade being shot down.

The Lakers waited months to find ways to keep Bryant in Los Angeles and they managed to do so when they obtained Pau Gasol from Memphis for basically nothing. As a result, the Lakers would shoot back to the top of the Western Conference and would go on to make it to the next three NBA Finals, winning two along the way.

I recognize that Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom aren't close to being in the same league, but does anyone else find it strange just how willing the Lakers were to listen to Odom's trade demands and then giving him away for a few draft picks the next day?

Odom was disgruntled by the way the team included him in the CP3 deal, but why would they be so willing to listen to his demands and then trade him only a day after?

As valuable a player as Odom was to the success of this Lakers team, it just seems strange that they'd give him away to a top-tier rival for only a few draft picks.

Perhaps that $9 million trade exception the team received may help us predict on why Odom was traded and what this team could possibly be in store.

Frustration Amongst Players

The Lakers franchise has already dealt with the wrath of a frustrated Kobe Bryant and it nearly resulted in the demise of a potential dynasty.

It only took a few seasons of mediocrity before Bryant demanded a trade and he nearly got his wish—if not for the Bulls being a little too stubborn on moving a few key pieces. I doubt Bryant will be asking for a trade this late in his career, but the fact that he's not too happy with the idea of moving Lamar Odom for a few draft picks certainly didn't help matters.

After the trade, Bryant said, "I don't like it. I've known Lamar for a long time, and for the team itself, he's meant a lot in terms of versatility, his personality. He's a big presence for us in the locker room, just from a team chemistry standpoint. He's great at bringing guys together and things of that nature."

Granted, Bryant would also go on to say that he held the front office in high regard and believes that they know what they're doing, I doubt he'll be saying the same thing once the Lakers struggle early on, as they have no bench.

Pau Gasol wasn't too pleased with being a part of the trade either, as he would say via Twitter, "It's been a crazy day, but as always I'm going to be and stay positive." It's certainly good to hear that Gasol didn't vocally demonstrate his frustration with the team like Lamar Odom did, but it's certain that the Spaniard is also distraught over being traded from a championship-caliber team like L.A. to a developing team in Houston.

If these two are forced to shoulder the load on a team where not many others can contribute in a positive light, we should expect frustration to set in, which means that Kupchak will have his hands full to make a trade happen fast.