Lakers Must Avoid Trade Talk Despite Rocky Start to NBA Season amid LeBron's Comments

Now in his 21st season, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James knows exactly what goes into a successful NBA campaign. Talent is important, but depth chemistry and cohesion are still necessary in an era dominated by superteams and star power.

James noted after Wednesday's blowout loss to the Houston Rockets that this year's Lakers squad hasn't had the opportunity to build chemistry yet.

"We can't build cohesion if we don't have our unit," James said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. "It's that simple. We're very depleted on the injury side."

James isn't wrong. While it would be great to see L.A. put forth a better effort against a team like Houston, not having Anthony Davis (hip) was a problem. Injuries have been an issue all season.

Rui Hachimura made his return on Wednesday after missing four games with a concussion. Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt have all missed time. Head coach Darvin Ham has had limited lineup options, which has compounded other issues amid the team's 3-5 start.

The Lakers have been dreadful in the first quarter, and they've struggled at a historical rate from beyond the arc. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Los Angeles is the first team in NBA history to make fewer three-pointers and shoot a lower three-point percentage than the opposition in each of its first eight games.

The Lakers can't and won't use injuries as an excuse for all of their issues.

"It's next man up. We've got a lot of guys. It's the reason the roster is this way," Prince said, per Edwin Garcia of Silver Screen and Roll.

However, injuries do provide a big reason for the Lakers to exercise patience through their early struggles. This roster was assembled to throw different looks at the opposition and to utilize players in multiple roles. Building cohesion was always going to take time.

It's far too early to say this roster can't work or to fire up the trade talk—which may have already begun. According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Lakers could be a "possible suitor" for former L.A. guard Alex Caruso, currently with the Chicago Bulls.

"The rumor around the Lakers was they regretted letting him go almost immediately after it happened," one unnamed executive told Deveney.

General manager Rob Pelinka should completely dismiss the idea of swinging big for a third start to pair with James and Davis—even if the Kyrie Irving chatter remains omnipresent. As Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus recently examined, the Lakers don't have many trade options right now:

"Nearly the entire roster is currently trade-restricted. The only players who can be moved immediately include LeBron James, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, Maxwell Lewis and the three two-ways (Colin Castleton, Alex Fudge and D'Moi Hodge). The rest either signed new deals this offseason and can't be dealt until closer to the February 8 trade deadline."

Moving players like Hood-Schifino, Christie and Lewis before the Lakers really know what they have would be a mistake. They could become future building blocks, and there's a very real chance that L.A. has to start rebuilding without James next offseason.

Planning to trade players like Prince, Vincent, Hayes, Christian Wood and Cam Reddish—who will be trade-eligible on December 15—would be premature. The Lakers owe it to themselves to see what this roster is capable of when it's closer to 100 percent and what kind of cohesion it can establish.

It's easy to forget how disjointed the Lakers roster was before last year's in-season trades for Hachimura, Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell—and while the new-look roster clicked in time for a deep playoff run, the chemistry didn't come immediately.

The core of core of the squad that made last year's Western Conference Finals remains, along with a few new additions. Eight games is too small of a sample size to suggest that L.A. can't get back to, or be better than, it was at the end of the regular season. This is especially true when injuries are considered.

There may come a time when shaking things up does make sense, but it won't come until Pelinka, Ham and, yes, James, have gotten a longer look at a healthy roster.