Lakers Rumors: Money Trumps Need for Titles at Close of NBA Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the business of saving money, which is never a good way to win titles. 

This is a franchise that was forever on the expensive side of the salary cap. Granted, that cap is far more steep now, but their new-found fiscal responsibility is a bit troubling. 

The pennies are being pinched on the way to the trade deadline, and that means a team that has issues scoring and is simply atrocious on the road will continue to be nothing more than mediocre. Let's see how that works out in the postseason. 

ESPN's Marc Stein reports on the Lakers and the possibility of them taking a shot at the perfect guard to suit their woes, Kirk Hinrich. 

Stein Writes: 

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...taking Hinrich and his $8.1 million salary into their $8.9 million Lamar Odom trade exception is a natural move to give L.A. some semblance of an upgrade in the backcourt going into the postseason...The Lakers, though, are rather skittish themselves about adding payroll these days...L.A. would naturally want Atlanta to take back some salary in a Hinrich deal, but there's zero chance of that happening. 

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The Lakers are not going to get an elite guard, or a player that would change the game and make this team the all-out favorites to win it all. 

What they can get is a player like Hinrich, which would bring depth to the entire roster and bolster a backcourt that is woefully ineffective. 

CBS Sports' Ken Berger further paints a grim picture as the Clippers come into the mix. 

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rival executives believe Hinrich could be on the move -- perhaps filling the gaping two-guard hole on the Clippers. That depends on the asking price, as the Clips' assets were diminished in the Chris Paul trade.

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And so we enter a new era of LA basketball, when the Clippers are more willing to get creative to solve their issues. 

The Lakers have no room to worry about money, at least not if they are hoping to make a push deep into the playoffs. 

The Lakers looked superb against the Miami Heat and have since reverted back to the mess they usually are on the road. 

This team needs help, and there is no getting around it, and help never comes on the cheap. 

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