NBA Rumors: Lakers Were Asked to Pay More for Players at Trade Deadline Than Rivals

The Los Angeles Lakers' inactivity at the trade deadline was due in part to feeling like they were being asked to pay a steeper price for players than their talent would normally warrant.

Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha, rival teams got the sense of a "'Lakers tax' with Los Angeles being asked to pay more for role players in potential deals than other suitors."

Buha noted the Lakers were "surprised" by the asking price teams had for certain players, and the fact that none of their primary targets were moved was a "sign to Los Angeles that demands were out of control."

Based on how few marquee players were dealt in the days leading up to the deadline, the tax may not have been limited only to the Lakers.

The New York Knicks, like the Lakers, had some interest in Dejounte Murray, but they balked because the Atlanta Hawks were reportedly looking for two first-round draft picks and to avoid taking salary back to clear their cap sheet.

That made it virtually impossible for the Lakers to satisfy Atlanta's demands unless a third team could have been added because they won't have a second first-round pick available to trade until this summer.

The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski reported on Tuesday the Washington Wizards wanted a first-round pick for Tyus Jones. Would it have been in the Lakers' best interest to use that 2029 first-rounder on a solid starting point guard who can become a free agent this summer?

Per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Dorian Finney-Smith and Bruce Brown Jr. were available for a first-round pick; and the Chicago Bulls were believed to be asking for more than two first-round picks to move Alex Caruso.

Even though LeBron James could probably care less about what happens with the Lakers' draft picks in 2029, the front office does have to be practical to avoid completely sinking the future of the franchise.

As general manager Rob Pelinka said to reporters after the deadline passed, "You can't buy a house that's not for sale." He noted the front office spent "a lot of time" looking at different ways to improve the roster for this season, but "the right move wasn't there."

By not making any moves at the deadline, the Lakers have put themselves in a position to potentially do something significant this summer.

Buha noted Los Angeles will have three first-round picks to trade, including in 2029, 2031 and either 2024 or 2025, this summer. The New Orleans Pelicans have the option to take either the 2024 or 2025 pick as part of the Anthony Davis trade.

While that doesn't do anything to help the Lakers' chances of contending this season—and potentially runs the risk of alienating James, who has a $51.4 million player option for 2024-25—waiting to make a deal could pay off for them in the long run.