Lakers Rumors: LA Has 'a Real Desire to See' 2nd Unit Before Making Another Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers are still evaluating their internal options as they weigh up any additional trades before the Feb. 6 deadline, according to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.

"Instead of rushing into a deal for a backup big man, the Lakers do have a real desire to see what their second unit looks like once Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are on the court together—something that happened just once a season ago," Woike wrote Sunday.

Vanderbilt has yet to make his season debut after undergoing multiple foot surgeries over the summer. He has begun practicing with the team in non-contact situations.

Midway through December, the Lakers were sitting at 13-12 and much of the optimism they generated from their start to the JJ Redick era had subsided. Calls from fans for general manager Rob Pelinka to make a blockbuster trade were hitting a fever pitch.

Now, Los Angeles is once again moving in the right direction. The team has seven wins in its last nine games and boasts the NBA's seventh-best net rating (plus-4.9) during that stretch, per NBA.com.

The acquisition of forward Dorian Finney-Smith also beefed up the Lakers' perimeter defending and gave them another floor-spacer to open up the court for star LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"Instead of frantically hunting for a third star or pushing chips in on a starting-caliber center, the Lakers, rival executives believe, will move in different ways than it might've seemed earlier this season," Woike reported.

Pelinka undoubtedly led some fans to roll their eyes when he suggested the front office would wait at least 30 games to contemplate any big moves. His insistence on wanting to yield "sustainable Lakers excellence" from their first-round draft picks in a trade was equally vexing.

Maybe the policy of moderation will pay off. In retrospect, holding firm when L.A. was hovering around .500 certainly looks like the right call for now.