As the March 25 NBA trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Lakers may be looking to add a veteran like Trevor Ariza to their roster.
NBA teams are coming to a better understanding of exactly where they are as the All-Star Game swiftly approaches. While the Eastern Conference struggles to find five teams that will be over .500 when the trade deadline rolls around, the West is a bit more competitive.
The Los Angeles Lakers currently sit in the number two spot behind the Utah Jazz with a record of 21-7. Anthony Davis hasn’t been super durable in his time in LA and was just ruled out for the next few weeks with a calf injury. As Frank Vogel and the coaching staff work around AD’s absence, the Lake Show is making some considerations when it comes to their roster.
The defending champions retooled this season adding Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell and his runner-up Dennis Schroeder. Still, the Lakers may be looking to add another veteran to help them with another deep playoff push.
Lakers are reportedly looking to add a veteran to their roster before the trade deadline
Though the NBA has been a bit of a mess this season, the playoffs will be here sooner than later. The usual suspects will be contending but it still feels like there are some moves that will shake the league up once again. The Lakers now seem to be inserting themselves in discussions for moves.
On his podcast, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers are “poking around the league a little bit to see if some role players may become available elsewhere.” Trevor Ariza’s name has been one floating around to possibly add to the championship roster. The 35-year-old was moved around quite a bit this offseason but landed in Oklahoma City. Ariza has yet to play for the Thunder, who are focused on a long-term rebuild.
Bringing in someone like Ariza certainly couldn’t hurt LA. LeBron James has kept a group of confident, experienced veterans around him for the latter part of his career and a player like Ariza is the kind of guy you want on your bench.
Adding a career 35.2 percent three-point shooter to your team is never a bad move, especially when you’re already coming off of a chip. We’ll see if Rob Pelinka and company feel like they need to pull the trigger or get OKC to buy out Ariza’s contract.