The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the most active teams in the trade window for 2022-23. After a year and a half of criticism surrounding their roster construction, GM Rob Pelinka made some big swings.
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Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley were introduced as Lakers over the past week or so. Without giving up all of their draft treasure chests, the LA outfit fixed some of their most glaring issues.
The first instance of all newcomers suiting up in purple and gold, however, was against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Lakers won 109-103 and played some solid basketball against their Western Conference foe.
With the new incomings, the Lakers were expected to take some time before finding their rhythm. But game one with the new roster proved to be a surprise bright spot in La La Land.
New arrival Rui Hachimura played a key part in their win. Post-match, Rui even had a revelation to make about their preparations for the game. Well, or the lack of it.
Hachimura revealed how the Lakers hadn’t even run practice with the new squad before the Warriors game.
The Warriors game coming right at the tail of the trade deadline meant that there was no easing in period for the new Lakers. The desperation of missing out on the Playoffs meant that the new boys had their trial of fire early.
And the game probably came a bit too quickly for coach Darwin Ham to get the team acquainted even. So much so that Rui revealed how there was no practice and how it was almost pick-up basketball.
Whether it might seem to be a flex or the occasional shining of the gods of luck remains to be seen. But what was on display was definitely a positive for the LA franchise.
Getting a win and keeping the Lakers on track for a Playoff spot while LeBron missed time was certainly big. The LA franchise will now attempt to keep its momentum and the newfound positivity going.
And while things look good for the Lakers, their opponents find themselves in further turmoil. The Warriors had a controversial trade deadline and along with a middling record are in quite some trouble.
The Warriors’ trade for Gary Payton II was on the verge of breaking down.
After deciding it was time to encourage their young core, the Warriors seem to be backtracking a bit. Giving up on recent #2 pick James Wiseman to re-acquire Gary Payton II seemed to be their first move in this regard.
However, unlike the Lakers who seemed to pull off their moves without much furor, there was controversy in the Warriors’ move. The Warriors’ move almost fell through owing to Payton II failing a medical.
The Blazers will also be investigated for misinformation during the process. Quite a dramatic trade indeed, despite it not involving a star in the league.
How fortunes fluctuate in the NBA. The NBA’s defending champs are now capable of defeat at the hands of a team bereft of practice.
