Lakers Rumors: LA Hasn't Revisited Trade Talks with Jazz, Pacers This Season

Amid an 0-3 start to the 2022-23 season and no signs of hope on the horizon, the Los Angeles Lakers don't appear to be in a rush to make any roster moves.

On Wednesday's episode of Get Up, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said the Lakers haven't attempted to re-engage the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz in trade talks after their reported negotiations during the offseason.

There were several rumors during the offseason about the Lakers exploring potential trade options involving Russell Westbrook.

According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha on Oct. 3, the Lakers and Pacers "discussed several trade iterations" over the summer involving Westbrook, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and future draft picks.

The Pacers reportedly demanded the Lakers' available first-round picks in 2027 and 2029 in every version of the deal discussed by the two teams.

In September, The Athletic's Tony Jones reported the Lakers and Jazz were holding "ongoing talks" about potential trades. He did note there was nothing "particularly close" at that point, nor was it clear which players were being discussed by the two sides.

If the Lakers are going to make a major move at some point, it seems likely Westbrook will be at the center of it. They don't have the cap space to add salary, and Westbrook's $47.1 million salary this season is the most on the Lakers roster.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters last month they would need to bring back players who can clearly improve their chances of winning a title in order to trade any of their draft capital.

Even though it's only three games into this season, head coach Darvin Ham appears to be treading lightly when it comes to Westbrook. He previously discussed bringing the 2016-17 MVP off the bench, but the guard has started all three games thus far.

A hamstring injury could keep Westbrook out for Wednesday's contest against the Denver Nuggets. The nine-time All-Star is off to a dreadful start, averaging 10.3 points per game on 28.9 percent shooting.

There have been some positives to take away from Los Angeles' three-game losing streak to start the season. Its 104.1 defensive rating is second in the NBA. LeBron James is averaging 27.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists.

As expected, though, the Lakers' lack of shooting has been devastating to everything else they can do. Per ESPN Stats & Info, their 21.2 percent success rate from three-point range is the second-worst mark ever over any three-game span in which a team attempted at least 100 shots behind the arc.