JJ Redick says that the Lakers’ last three days in the gym have been their best three days of practice/workouts since the first three days of training camp.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 14, 2025
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Vando close to returning but not this week
JJ Redick says Jarred Vanderbilt is progressing and getting close to returning but won’t be back this week.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 14, 2025
Weird year
Aloha,
It’s trade season again but not much is going on. There have been only two meaningful trades and the Laker had one of them with the trade for DFS.
No one believes we are done yet. A quality backup center is the top priority. I can single out at least 3 games we lost because we didn’t have one. Our other need is at least a decent backup PG with some offense. Our 2nd unit doesn’t have a lot of scorers.
Unfortunately things have changed. The new CBA has made it extremely difficult to get trades done. And the play in game has cut down the number of sellers.
And this is what makes it weird. The play off race is so tightly packed that that there isn’t the urgency yet to make a deal. For instance the Spurs are in the 12th seed but only 3 games out of the 6th.
And the bottom feeders are tightly packed as well. Only a couple of games separate the worst teams from the very bottom. So the sellers are not motivated at this time either. I believe they are all holding out for overpays.
I doubt the Lakers will overpay. Primarily because there isn’t a Trade that would catapult them into true championship contender status with OKC or the Cavs.
The Lakers have said they will only trade a first for a player that will play the next 4 or 5 years with the Lakers. That eliminates a substantial amount of the rumored players. Kessler fits that timeline but he may not even be on the market. And if he is, don’t expect him to be moved until the last possible minute. Danny will hold out as long as possible. Although I don’t think he will get multiple firsts because Kessler isn’t that good.
So I guess we wait. That maybe best anyway. Maybe other players become available. Or perhaps one of the sellers becomes realistic like the Nets did and let a guy go at a fair price. As much as our backup center situation is killing me It will also be good to see how we look with a healthy squad.
I will be surprised if we see anything happen for another couple of weeks but would be delighted if something did.
THE LAKERS PLAY BASKETBALL TODAY 🏀
THE LAKERS PLAY BASKETBALL TODAY 🏀 pic.twitter.com/3sKBkXBhm9
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 13, 2025
Walker Kessler Out Tonight – Possible Trade Pending?
https://t.co/NwXH1oZYvE pic.twitter.com/3XUl3OMCSl
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) January 12, 2025