TL;DR
- The Los Angeles Lakers roster is improved with DeAndre Ayton and Marcus Smart.
- The Lakers are reportedly not looking to trade for a point guard.
- They have sufficient ball-handling with Luka, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James.
- Los Angeles might seek another big man to complement DeAndre Ayton.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster is undoubtedly much improved from a season ago.
The addition of DeAndre Ayton filled the team's deficiency in the low post, while acquiring Marcus Smart contributed to Los Angeles establishing a tougher defensive style.
The 11-4 Western Conference team might consider further roster changes to improve their championship chances.
Is Los Angeles open to the idea of trading for a point guard to help complement Luka Doncic in the backcourt? According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, the organization has reportedly made its stance clear.
“No,” Buha said when asked if acquiring a point guard is a viable option for the Lakers. “To my knowledge, no. You have enough ball handling with Luka, Austin (Reaves), and LeBron (James). … I think that’s one of the last areas the Lakers really need.”
Los Angeles could benefit from finding another big man to share frontcourt duties alongside Ayton.
Jaxson Hayes has the physical tools to be a more impactful center for the Lakers, but his offensive limitations have forced Ayton to be the star of the show for Los Angeles in the low post (Hayes is contributing 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season).
Assets like Lauri Markkanen, Daniel Gafford, and Domantas Sabonis would appease Doncic from a pick-and-roll perspective and make life easier for Ayton moving forward.
It’ll be interesting to see how Rob Pelinka and Los Angeles approach the trade season.
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