Not necessarily very far from recruiting Bojan Bogdanovic before his departure for the Pistons, the Lakers still hope to strengthen their roster as much as possible. Rob Pelinka is showing himself to be quite tough in the negotiations, since he categorically refuses to give up his first two draft rounds. So much so that an insider has just thrown a big chill at the supporters.
Training camp has already started for a few days for the Lakers, which means that a trade will probably not happen before the resumption. Be careful never to say never in this league, but nobody likes to modify their roster in the main lines before the start of the regular season. Everything therefore leads us to believe that Russell Westbrook will be kept for the next few months at least, while fans will have to wait to welcome a new player to the City of Angels.
However, Dennis Schroder was not necessarily seen as the last recruit of the offseason in Los Angeles, since Bojan Bogdanovic is a name that is very popular with the leaders, he who was about to leave Jazz. Discussions have taken place for the winger who flirts with the 20 points average, but Rob Pelinka refused to back down on a surprising detail. The result is known today, since the former teammate of Rudy Gobert has packed his bags to join the Pistons.
No movement in sight at the Lakers?
For the past few weeks, some insiders have confirmed that the Angelinos have left the door open to a trade, even if it could stay that way for a long time. After all, the Lakers have until the February deadline to make roster changes, while Pelinka could stall. The goal is simple: let LeBron James and his teammates make do with the current roster for the next few months, to better target the gaps.
Understand that Purple and Gold should wait before making a trade, as ESPN reporter Zach Lowe explains:
From what I know at the moment, the Lakers have nothing on the market at all. There is no approaching trade, no movement that should see the light of day soon. Bogdanovic is gone now, even if the Lakers can still engage in discussions with the Jazz, or with the Spurs. But I don’t think an agreement is possible between the two parties that is fair to everyone.
We should therefore move towards a status quo in the City of Angels, with a Lakers team which will temporize while waiting for the regular season. Pelinka would probably like to recruit a few names, like Bogdanovic who was a prime target, but he is not ready to make the necessary efforts to achieve this. Very bad news for many fans, who were hoping for another move in the coming days.
It must be said that recently, the Angelinos have returned to the path of the floors with the first training camp of Darvin Ham. We have already been able to get a glimpse of the level of the players and their cohabitation on the field. The last streak between Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn (review here) scared a lot of people, confirming that some still have work to do.
No trade in sight for the Lakers, who should wait a few months before upsetting their workforce if it is playable. Rob Pelinka is thinking about making changes, but he is struggling to make the necessary efforts, like the discussions with the Jazz. A soap opera that should still several months.
