The Los Angeles Lakers, a solid 7-1/2 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the West and struggling to get its defense in order, have a roster backed with players the team wouldn't want to trade, and player the team would have significant trouble trading for value. Sub-superstar pieces like Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum are too valuable for the Lakers; underperforming contract players like Ron Artest and Steve Blake might be too expensive to move.
Lakers Trade Needed? GM Mitch Kupchak Says He ‘May’ Look To Shake Up Roster
But that didn’t discourage Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak from telling NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper that he’s open to looking at the trade market to give the two-time defending champs an edge heading into the playoffs.
"Regarding a trade, I may have to," Kupchak said at the team's practice facility a day after the convincing loss to the Celtics. "I'm not saying that I've made calls today or I'll make them tomorrow. But I just don't think that we're playing as well as our talent level should allow us."
Kupchak is largely noncommital, but it's as close to panic as you'll ever hear out of El Segundo. A lack of production at point guard, where Derek Fisher and Blake soak up the minutes, seems to be a particular problem. Artest's offense has been rough, even by his standards, and as a team the Lakers aren't rebounding as well as they did a year ago.
Silver Screen And Roll’s Dexter Fishmore reads Kupchak’s comments as a warning to current Lakers players.
I suspect the public nature of Kupchak’s comments is very, very intentional. I do believe he’s starting to consider a roster shakeup, but this is also a shot across the nose of certain players. Though Kobe is untouchable, of course, everyone else is on notice: get it together, or come late February you could find yourself condo-shopping in Detroit.
Since the blockbuster trade for Pau Gasol, the Lakers haven't been at all active around the trade deadline. That may very well change this season.
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