LeBron James Feels Lakers Are in 'Good Place' After NBA Trade Deadline Moves

The Los Angeles Lakers were busy ahead of the NBA trade deadline, and LeBron James is pleased with the team's new look.

"I feel like we're in a good place," he told reporters after Sunday's 111-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks, which included overcoming a 27-point deficit. "We're gonna try to continue that."

The Lakers most famously moved on from Russell Westbrook ahead of the deadline, while adding players like Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Since bringing aboard the latter three in the Westbrook deal, the Lakers are 4-1.

The result of those deals has been a far more complementary supporting cast around James and Anthony Davis, with Vanderbilt, Beasley and Russell (when healthy) settling into starting roles and Hachimura, Dennis Schröder, Austin Reaves and Troy Brown Jr. playing solid roles off the bench.

Vanderbilt in particular was excellent Sunday, putting up 15 points, 17 boards and four steals.

"It gives us a lot more freedom on the defensive end," Davis told reporters Sunday about having Vanderbilt in the starting lineup.

"I think each and every game we've gotten better, gotten more chemistry," Vanderbilt added. "So just trying to keep building in that right direction. Keep progressing. I can see the chemistry getting there each and every game."

The Lakers still have their work cut out for them. The team is now 29-32 and sits at 11th in the Western Conference, one spot outside of the play-in tournament berths. The Lakers are currently one game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 10 seed, and 2.5 games behind the Mavericks for the No. 6 seed, which is the final guaranteed playoff berth.

So progress is being made. The Westbrook experiment was an abject failure, but the new-look Lakers appear to be headed on the right path.