Lakers HC Ham Says Talks with Players Hasn't Been 'as Edgy' Since NBA Trade Deadline

One reason the Los Angeles Lakers have been playing better basketball recently is because everyone is more relaxed in the aftermath of the trade deadline.

Head coach Darvin Ham told reporters leading up to Saturday's showdown with the Golden State Warriors that his communication with the team hasn't felt "as edgy" because players know where they stand with the organization post-trade deadline.

"I opened the floor for dialogue," Ham said of his approach. "I want to hear from them. ... Three players, two coaches, we can look at the same play and see five different things. So that's why you have to invite that dialogue and make them open to talking to one another and guys holding themselves accountable for breakdowns, guys giving suggestions and tweaking different things with our zone that we want to try to do going forward, it's all healthy."

There was a lot of discussion about what the Lakers might be planning to do leading up to the Feb. 8 deadline. They were heavily connected to Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, but were also keeping an eye on several players on the Brooklyn Nets.

As all of the trade buzz was going on, LeBron James ignited a lot of discussion about his future when he cryptically posted an hourglass emoji on X.

Discussion about that social-media post got so far out there that Rich Paul, James' agent, had to tell ESPN's Brian Windhorst he "won't be traded, and we aren't asking to be."

The trade deadline ultimately passed with the Lakers not making any moves. They have won eight of their last 13 games since Feb. 9 and were a season-high six games over .500 (36-30) before Wednesday's loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Despite their recent success, the Lakers remain stuck in ninth place in the Western Conference. They are one game ahead of the Warriors for 10th place going into Saturday's matchup, but two games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the eighth seed.

The Lakers are on the verge of being in the play-in tournament for the third time in the past four seasons. They did make a run to the Western Conference Finals last season as the No. 7 seed after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament.