Darvin Ham has leaned into the starting five he used to open the season and that has won the Lakers a couple of games in a row, bumping them back up to .500. Still, this team doesn’t feel complete or look like a contender.
That does not mean they are chasing former UCLA star Zach LaVine. Instead, the team is focused on point guards at the trade deadline, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN during an appearance on SportsCenter.
Pregame @SportsCenter hit with @KevinNegandhi on the Lakers’ current starting lineup iteration. Plus a couple of names they could target in trades - and another name that they likely won’t pic.twitter.com/4y25TMCO3o
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 18, 2024
“A big name on the similar level of a Pascal Siakam that we’ve heard for months associated with the Lakers is Zach Lavine, but I’m told that’s not happening. Laker fans, if you’re thinking about the UCLA Bruin coming back to Los Angeles to help this team, don’t count on it. You’re gonna look at the Lakers serving the market for point guard help.”
LaVine — an elite isolation scorer but not a strong defender and with a massive contract — was never a natural fit with the Lakers, either on the court or in terms of salary structure. The buzz about that trade always emanated more from people close to LaVine than from Los Angeles.
The Lakers have been looking for help at the point with Gabe Vincent injured much of the season. Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell averages 15.4 points and 6.1 assists per game but is not the two-way floor general Darvin Ham might like next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The two point guards McMenamin mentions are Tyus Jones of the Wizards and Collin Sexton with the Jazz. Both are considered available in the trade market.
LeBron was asked what the Lakers might need Wednesday night after a win over the Mavericks, but he was not playing that game.
LeBron James, when asked if his team needs moves as the trade deadline approaches, said: “I don’t play fantasy basketball” and vowed to continue to work hard with the group L.A. has pic.twitter.com/sjq6Bh9MrB
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 18, 2024
“I don’t play fantasy basketball. What I do is focus on the guys that’s here and in this uniform, and show up to work every day. It’s too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need or what we don’t have. I don’t do that to my teammates.”