If there is one thing that the Los Angeles Lakers have proven over the last 12 months it is that a team can drastically improve its championship chances at the trade deadline. After a strong offseason in the 2023 summer, the team has left itself open to the same result during the 2024 trade deadline.
The Lakers brought back last year’s core that led the team to the Western Conference Finals while also giving themselves a lot of flexibility at the deadline. Heck, the Lakers all but confirmed that D’Angelo Russell would be traded at some point with the contract that he signed this summer.