The fall of the Lakers franchise has been hard to watch. From a championship in 2020 to becoming a banter franchise two years later, the swiftness of their downfall has been the talk of the town. The original NBA franchise from Hollywood is definitely in need of some immediate changes.
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The gold and purple are currently one of the worst teams in the NBA. Their record speaks of the failures of Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ ownership. Maybe, if they had made better trade moves this past season, they wouldn’t face the humiliation the start of the current season brought.
The ‘superstar’ squad, which was once seen as the dawn of the legends, has now become more than a liability. They are now hefty contracts that are difficult to trade. However, as per one insider, this may change because of the Anthony Davis injury.
Lakers likely to benefit from the injury of Anthony Davis
Just as Anthony Davis, an 8-time All-Star was putting up MVP numbers, he injured his foot. While not many details have been revealed about the injury, Windhorst claimed it was concerning. He is expected to miss at least a month of action due to the ‘soreness’ in his foot.
For the Lakers who are struggling to finalize a deal, this should have spelled trouble. However, Dan Woike of the LA Times revealed a rival executive believes this could very well prove to be better for the Lakers.
In his article, Woike wrote: “According to a recent report, Davis’ injury could actually end up giving the Lakers some much-needed leverage in trade discussions as the Feb. 9 trade deadline fast approaches.” He continued: “‘Another rival said that if negotiated properly, he felt the Davis injury could actually help the Lakers’ position in trade talks,’ Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times wrote. ‘The team’s sought leverage in talks since the summer, with much of the league viewing them as ‘desperate’ to make some kind of trade. That, plus the early-season timing of any talks, has kept the asking price really high. This executive thought a Davis injury of any real severity would give the Lakers leverage they haven’t had since the summer by giving them a very real reason to shut down talks and focus on the offseason.”
Rob Pelinka has let down the franchise
Once considered a genius, Rob Pelinka is now one of the most criticized men in the Lakers. His poor trade decisions have caused the crumbling of the franchise.
Last season, he put up the oldest squad in the league only for the Lakers to get toyed around by rivals. This season has proven to be the same. None of the trades have yet shown their value. The Hollywood team has won just 13 games this season while losing 18.
Their abysmal performance is beyond concerning. With Davis out, if they continue to lose more than they win, their dreams of making the playoffs could end faster than one can spell trade.
