The Los Angeles Lakers have had a roller coaster season, to say the least. The Lakers didn’t have very high expectations coming into the campaign, but their 15-27 record and the 12th seed in the Western Conference is still disappointing. Even though the record isn’t where the organization would like, it’s hard not to be excited about what the future holds in LA.
Their roster oozes with rawness and sky-high potential from top to bottom. They boast one of the most exciting young trios in the NBA in guard D’Angelo Russell, and forwards Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle. To round it out, they also have solid complimentary pieces in Jordan Clarkson, Nick Young, Lou Williams, Luol Deng, and Larry Nance, providing an exciting combination of veteran leadership and uncapped young talent.
One thing the roster may be missing is a star that can really push them over the edge, and the Lakers have already been reportedly involved in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks gauging the availability of Paul Millsap. However, if any deal was to be completed before the trade deadline passes by, the young core of Russell, Ingram, and Randle would be considered untouchable. Following from Sean Deveney of Sporting News:
Here’s what one Western Conference scout said about the state of the Lakers: “If you made a list of the 20 best players who are 22 or under, I think you’d have to have all three of the Lakers’ young guys on there. They’re three of the best young guys in the league. There’s really not a lot of teams can say that, and I think a lot of mediocre teams would like to swap rosters with the Lakers right now.” The three young guys, of course, are 19-year-old Brandon Ingram, 20-year-old D’Angelo Russell and 22-year-old Julius Randle, all of whom appear to have their sea legs after a wobbly start this season…
…The Lakers are not moving any of the three, even as we enter the silly season of NBA trade discussions. According to league sources, the Lakers have not included any of the three into trade discussions, and do not figure to change that. They’re unlikely to consider moves involving their two other young role players, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., who figure to be key parts of the rotation in the near future.
Even last week, we saw Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak discuss the non-availability of their young players among other things with Mike Bresnahan of SpectrumSportsNet.
There is no doubt the Lakers will be one of the scariest teams out West in the near future. With the amount of talent and potential possessed among Russell, Ingram, and Randle, Kupchak and the Lakers are making the right move deciding to keep their future building blocks in place.
