Why are the Lakers called the Lakers?
The LA Lakers were founded in 1947. Their creation came as a result of the purchase of the Detroit Gems, who were playing in the National Basketball League. On their creation, they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they were competing under the name Minneapolis Lakers.
The franchise adopted the Lakers name, as the state of Minnesota is called the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". Thus, the franchise kept that name, which hasn't changed until now.
They spent 13 years in Minneapolis (1947-1960) and won five championships (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954). In 1960, they moved to Los Angeles, California, which remains their home until now.
They also changed their name to Los Angeles Lakers and went on to win 12 championships (1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020).
Los Angeles is considered one of the most successful franchises in NBA history along with the Boston Celtics. Both franchises have claimed a record 17 championships.
Lakers not expected to shake up the roster before February trade deadline
Moving forward to the season, the franchise has been linked with players, like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, as likely trade candidates. However, it appears that they have no intention to shake up the roster before the February deadline.
Dealing with injury woes and chemistry issues, the 17-time NBA champions want to see their full roster together before making a decision on whether any changes are needed.
"Don’t expect a move immediately after Dec. 15. They plan to take a patient approach to the trade market, team sources not authorized to speak publicly tell The Athletic, and would prefer to see what their group looks like whole before making a monumental roster decision. They’re still evaluating their needs and will continue to monitor the league," Jovan Buha of The Athletic recently wrote, via Lakers Nation.
"There’s always a chance they strike a move before the February deadline — similar to acquiring Hachimura a couple of weeks before last season’s — but a trade is far more likely to come later in the trading window than sooner."
Meanwhile, the LA franchise (12-9) focuses on the knockout stage of the NBA In-Season Tournament and the quarterfinal vs the Phoenix Suns (12-8) on Tuesday.
Should they win this one, they will move to Las Vegas for Thursday's semifinal vs the New Orleans Pelicans.