The 2023-24 NBA trade deadline has passed with a number of teams making deals prior to the deadline. The Los Angeles Lakers, however, stood pat.
There were plenty of rumors that they were after players such as the Atlanta Hawks’ Dejounte Murray and the Toronto Raptors’ Bruce Brown. In the end, they were just that — rumors.
The roster the Lakers have is basically the one they will have to go to war with for the rest of this season. They will reportedly look to the buyout market, but one shouldn’t expect much help there.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team’s main plan is to pursue a third star this summer on the trade market (h/t Lakers Daily).
The trade deadline officially passed and the Lakers stood pat, team sources told @TheAthletic. The organization will now turn its attention to the buyout market. Longer term, they plan to pursue a third star via trade this summer with their three movable first-round draft picks.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 8, 2024
Los Angeles was limited in its non-player assets prior to the deadline. But this offseason, it will be able to trade as many as three first-round draft picks, per league rules.
Its big fish this summer is reportedly Donovan Mitchell, the 27-year-old dynamo star guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals a game, all of which are career highs, this season.
However, Mitchell, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent in the summer of 2025, is believed to want to become a member of the New York Knicks. He is originally from suburban New York City.