Just over halfway through the 2021-22 NBA season, it seems safe to say that things have not gone according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers.
LA currently occupies the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings with a measly 22-23 record. Given the sheer amount of star power on this roster, with players like LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Daivs (though he has missed significant time due to injury), this team has drastically underperformed thus far. They are currently a play-in team and could very well be in danger of missing the playoffs if they continue struggling on a game-to-game basis.
The Los Angeles Lakers must look to bolster their roster with NBA trades before the February 10 deadline
As the Lakers look to get back on the right track, they have been featured heavily in the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline. One source for this information is Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, who reported four household names that the Lakers have called about before the deadline.
The Lakers should leave no stone unturned in their quest to improve over the next few weeks, which sets the stage for a busy trade deadline ahead. In fact, this could be a make or break period for the Lakers as they look to salvage their season, and any of these targets could be the answer.
With that said, we will break down those four rumored targets mentioned by Pincus and a bonus player mentioned as a suitor by a different source to see whether or not the purple and gold have a legitimate shot to acquire any of them.