The 2023-24 NBA trade deadline passed without the Los Angeles Lakers making any moves. Plenty of fans are disappointed the same roster that has hovered around .500 all season is the roster the team will finish the season with.
Los Angeles can sign a player from the buyout market, and it is rumored to be favored to land Spencer Dinwiddie, a veteran ball-handling guard. But one cannot expect such a player to have much of an impact.
The feeling, which turned out to be accurate, was there was simply a paucity of players the Lakers could’ve acquired before the deadline at a reasonable price that would’ve moved the needle. That’s the message general manager Rob Pelinka gave when he addressed the media.
“You can't buy a house that's not for sale. My job is to always look for ways to upgrade our roster, but you can't buy a house that's not for sale. We spent a lot of time looking for ways to use assets to make our team better.”
Rob Pelinka on the Lakers' trade deadline.
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 9, 2024
Last year, the Lakers were aggressive prior to the trade deadline, landing forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt and guard D’Angelo Russell while finally unloading Russell Westbrook. Those moves immediately led to a late-season surge that resulted in a Western Conference finals appearance, not to mention optimism for this season.
But at least so far, this season has been a disappointment. They are 27-26, and their chances of making another late-season run are dwindling.
Pelinka implied his team will look to make a bigger impact move this summer when it will be able to trade up to three first-round draft picks.