Lakers Having Quiet Trade Deadline Wouldn't Be Disastrous Amid Latest NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers are stuck in a tricky situation as Thursday's NBA trade deadline approaches. At 27-25, the Lakers have the record of a fringe playoff contender, but they might not have the depth needed to make a deep playoff run.

In what might be LeBron James' final season with the franchise, this isn't where the Lakers were hoping to be.

However, the reality is that Los Angeles might not make major changes as it did at last year's trade deadline. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers might make few, if any, moves in the coming days.

"The likelihood that the Lakers stand pat or make a marginal move has somewhat increased in recent days, according to team and league sources," Buha wrote on Tuesday.

According to Buha, there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that, following wins over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, Los Angeles may have finally found a groove.

James and Anthony Davis missed the Celtics game, but head coach Darvin Ham may have finally settled on a functional starting lineup of James, Davis, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.

Russell has been playing particularly well as of late, which provides some hope that L.A. can recapture the magic its core group found late last season. According to Buha, the Lakers have become "more confident in their potential for internal improvement."

Making a blockbuster trade, like a move for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, could throw a wrench into any plans to improve internally. According to Buha, the Lakers' standing offer for Murray includes Russell, Jalen Hood-Schifino and their 2029 first-round pick. Maybe L.A. makes that deal, but there's no guarantee that Murray would be an upgrade over Russell.

Murray is a fantastic two-way player, but with Russell seemingly rediscovering his perimeter shooting, L.A. has looked and played like a legitimate contender in its last few games.

The second piece of the equation is that the Lakers reportedly don't view any realistic trade targets as worth a larger package.

"The Lakers' front office feels most of the available trade options don't reach that level," Buha wrote. "Murray remains the exception as long as the Lakers don't have to empty the cupboard beyond their initial offer."

According to Buha, Reaves is off the table "barring a clear-cut All-Star shockingly becoming available."

Per Buha, the Lakers could eye a smaller deal for Dorian Finney-Smith, Jerami Grant or Bruce Brown Jr., but barring that, they're more likely to "make a move along the margins, possibly shedding some salary in the process, and then work the buyout market for a player or two."

While a quiet approach might not be the one that fans want to see, it doesn't mean that the rest of the season is going to be a disaster. The roster that made it to last year's Western Conference Finals remains largely intact, and rediscovering last year's chemistry may be much easier than trying to build a new-look roster.

In the long term, a quiet approach may actually be better for the Lakers. As The Athletic's John Hollinger pointed out, the Lakers are just $1.3 million over the luxury tax and could easily get below the line in the coming days. Doing so could require attaching draft capital to send a player like Christian Wood elsewhere.

"But in L.A.'s case, the financial calculus of accessing the roughly $9 million tax distribution to below-tax teams is going to make it a worthwhile transaction," Hollinger wrote.

Hanging onto that 2029 draft pick could be important too. The Lakers may or may not have James back next season, but if they have that pick in tow, they'll have three tradeable first-rounders with which to strike a better bargain.

That third pick could mean the difference between adding another superstar to replace or complement James and another round of looking at second-tier options. Likewise, keeping Reaves—and to a lesser extent, Russell, who has a player option next season—could be critical if the Lakers are rebuilding without James next year.

The reality is that Murray is probably the best player the Lakers can get at this year's trade deadline, and even landing him could cost a significant amount of future player and draft capital. Murray's market doesn't appear to be hot, but the Utah Jazz are also reportedly interested.

"The only teams I've really heard actual offers about have been from the Lakers and from Utah, and the Lakers just don't have a clear, obvious package that's gonna give the Hawks the picks they want, a player they want and a player who doesn't have what's considered to be bad long-term salary," Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer told The Saturday Stein Line with Marc Stein (h/t Peter Dewey of Lakers Daily).

The Lakers can't afford to overpay for a Murray or anyone else who isn't considered a "sure thing."

With this year's trade deadline looking like a seller's market, though, that's exactly what making a blockbuster deal might entail. Ultimately, a quiet deadline may be what's best for the Lakers, and it certainly shouldn't be viewed as a disaster.