Lakers Players Favor Playmaking Guard Over Center Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline<\/p>\n
As the NBA trade deadline nears, the Los Angeles Lakers are re-evaluating their roster needs. Although Anthony Davis has openly expressed a desire for the team to acquire a center, reports indicate that Lakers players in the locker room prefer adding a playmaking guard instead.<\/p>\n
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports that many Lakers players feel the team’s biggest need after the D\u2019Angelo Russell trade is a true secondary playmaker. Since Russell’s trade to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, the team has relied on Austin Reaves and LeBron James to handle the offense. However, the players believe that adding another reliable ballhandler would help the team\u2019s offensive rhythm, especially when LeBron is not on the court.<\/p>\n
The Lakers\u2019 approach to the trade deadline has been shaped by this priority, with the team reportedly focusing more on securing a playmaking guard than a center. While Davis has advocated for a big man to ease his defensive load and allow him to move to power forward, the Lakers\u2019 front office seems to be giving more weight to the need for depth in the backcourt.<\/p>\n
The Lakers have been linked to several playmaking guards, such as Malcolm Brogdon, Lonzo Ball, and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Despite Davis\u2019 preference for a center, the likelihood of acquiring a starting-caliber big man appears slim. The Lakers have explored trades for Myles Turner, Jakob Poeltl, and Walker Kessler, but each comes with a steep price tag.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Jaxson Hayes has been showing improvement as a backup, and the team recently signed Trey Jemison III to a two-way deal. Rather than overpaying for a center, the Lakers may focus their trade assets on upgrading their backcourt.<\/p>\n
Currently sitting 5th in the Western Conference, the Lakers have a roster capable of making a playoff run. However, without a consistent secondary playmaker, their offense falters when LeBron is off the floor. While adding a center would benefit Davis, acquiring a reliable guard who can run the offense and create scoring opportunities could have a bigger impact on the Lakers\u2019 postseason chances.<\/p>\n
With the February 6 deadline fast approaching, the Lakers face the decision of whether to honor Davis\u2019 request for a center or to align with the locker room\u2019s belief that a playmaking guard is them Missing link.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lakers Players Favor Playmaking Guard Over Center Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline As the NBA trade deadline nears, the Los Angeles Lakers are re-evaluating their roster needs. Although Anthony Davis has openly expressed a desire for the team to acquire a center, reports indicate that Lakers players in the locker room prefer adding a playmaking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586],"tags":[256],"class_list":["post-23244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","tag-la-lakers"],"yoast_head":"\n