Many people feel that The Los Angeles Lakers must do everything they reasonably can to try to win another NBA championship for as long as LeBron James is still on their roster and playing at a high level. The Lakers still have arguably the best superstar duo in the league with James and Anthony Davisas well as several good and solid complementary players.
Despite what some might say, they appear to be a legitimate playoff team. But virtually no one thinks they have a chance to win it all in their current configuration.
Los Angeles has barely moved this summer, and time is running out for him to do something to improve his squad. The Athletic’s Joven Buha was interviewed on a recent episode of “Buha’s Block” if the upcoming season is already a wasted season, and even though he said it isn’t, he said it will be if the team doesn’t make a move before the trade deadline (at 51:17).
“I wouldn’t say that, I would say that if the Lakers don’t make a trade, it’s going to be a wasted season, in my opinion,” Buha said. “Just because I don’t think, as configured right now, they’re a legitimate title contender with the roster they have right now. So if they don’t go out and at least trade one of the picks, it’s going to be, in my opinion, a wasted season.”
“I would tentatively say they still have the opportunity to improve their roster significantly or at least marginally,” Buha continued. “I think at the level they’re at right now, every little bit helps… I don’t quite agree with you on the pessimism yet, but if it’s February 8th and I’m doing a live stream or a podcast and the Lakers haven’t made a trade, I would say it’s a waste of time for the season.”
It’s worth noting that over the past two summers, major trades have been made very close to the start of training camp. In 2023, Damian Lillard was exchanged to the Milwaukee Bucks September 27 and October 1 Jrue’s Holidays was sent to the Boston Celtics. The previous year, the Utah Jazz shipped Donovan Mitchell At The Cleveland Cavaliers September 3rd.
The Lakers have a hole at center (other than Davis) and need a legitimate 3-and-D wing or two. They could also ideally use an upgrade over starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, who tends to play very well in the regular season but is extremely inconsistent in the playoffs and, overall, is slow and lacking in defensive skills.
If they want to make a concerted effort to go out there and chase a Larry O’Brien Trophy next season, they’ll have to make the most of their limited trade assets while striking a delicate balance between winning now and having enough resources to properly rebuild after James is gone.
This article was originally published on LeBron Wire: Buha: Lakers’ 2024-25 season will be ruined if they don’t make a trade
