Lakers trade rumors: LeBron James, Anthony Davis 'growing concerned' as LA potentially stands put at deadline
With the Feb. 6 NBA Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, the LA Lakers front office has been put under the microscope. Despite making a notable move in acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets, the franchise remains, at best, a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to the Western Conference playoff picture.
According to ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania, with the team (23-18) sitting in sixth place in a competitive Western Conference, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are beginning to grow concerned about the front office's approach to the impending deadline.
"League sources told ESPN that James and Davis are growing concerned about the Lakers' ability to make significant roster upgrades with their two tradeable first-rounders," Charania wrote in his ESPN column.
In a report released Wednesday, Charania wrote that according to his sources, the James-Davis duo believes that the team is one or two players away from becoming a championship-caliber squad.
As Charania reported, the Lakers are gauging interest around the league, something that aligns with previous reports indicating the franchise's interest in players like Jonas Valanciunas and Robert Williams III.
With nearly two weeks to go until the deadline, however, whether or not the Lakers front office decides to make a championship-contending move remains to be seen.
"That's the way our team is constructed" - LeBron James' postgame comments speaks a lot amid trade deadline looming
LeBron James commented about the roster following the team's 116-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
"We don't have room for error. We don't have a choice. That's the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball," James said via ESPN.
The comments were echoed by JJ Redick, who told members of the press following the game that when LA's roster is healthy, they're a great team, however, the absence of one or more players is something that's proved challenging to overcome.
Additionally, he explained how the team needs to find success by being a cohesive unit, saying:
"We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to necessarily always draw two to the ball. We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to be able to get past his guy one-on-one and get to the paint and spread it out to the perimeter.
"That’s just not our team. So we have to do it through connectivity, through execution. And when we do that, we’re really good.”
Between James' public comments and the reports that LA is in the market for a big man to slide in at the center position, it's only a matter of time before we find out whether the team will be gaining some additional help in their pursuit for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.