Rob Pelinka on Lakers' Quiet Trade Deadline: 'Can't Buy A House That's Not For Sale'

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said there was a reason his 27-25 team stayed quiet at Thursday's trade deadline.

"You can't buy a house that's not for sale," Pelinka told reporters Thursday.

Pelinka added, "The right move wasn't there."

The Lakers rank ninth in the Western Conference and are headed to the play-in round unless their record improves.

For now, the team will be shopping the buyout market, Pelinka said.

But Pelinka is already looking ahead to this summer. He noted that the Lakers will be able to work three first-round picks into trade deals after the first day of the 2024 draft for "a greater or bigger swing."

The Lakers will have a 2031 first-rounder, a 2029 first-rounder, and a first-round selection from either 2024 or 2025, depending on the New Orleans Saints' decision on what to do with the draft pick they got from Los Angeles in 2019 in exchange for Anthony Davis.

But two of those will only become available this offseason.

"In terms of what was available at the trade deadline, we had one first-round draft pick. It was our only hook to fish with," Pelinka said.

There have been internal Lakers team discussions about eventually dealing those three picks and a player to create a trade for a star like the Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell or Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"We didn't want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and impactful move potentially in June or July," Pelinka said.

In the buyout market, Pelinka said the Lakers will pursue a "ball-handling guard" followed by the "best available player," per Buha.

"We're going to look for ways to upgrade our team there," Pelinka said, adding that the team would be "will be very aggressive" with the open roster spot.

Two potential guard options expected to be on the buyout market are Spencer Dinwiddie, who was waived Thursday by the Toronto Raptors, and Kyle Lowry, who is expected to be released by the Charlotte Hornets. The Lakers have previously been connected with both Dinwiddie and Lowry.