The Los Angeles Lakers are right in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference. They had hoped that their positioning would be more secure as a contender, but things have not gone according to plan thus far at the halfway mark of the 2021-22 NBA season..
Los Angeles is 21-20 on the season and in seventh place. They are currently the top spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, but they want to get into the top-six and avoid the play. It is still very possible, as they are only 1.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for fifth place.
Rob Pelinka will do everything in his power to upgrade the roster to put the team in a better position to compete for a championship. That is not an easy task, as the Lakers are lacking assets to build a trade package with.
They put themselves in this position by acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. A lot of their depth and trade pieces were used to land him, as Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell all heeded east.
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The Lakers have an unbalanced roster when it comes to salary. They have three max players and two other players earning more than the league minimum. That makes building a competitive package difficult, but they will have to try.
Who could the team pursue to upgrade the roster? Here is one blockbuster trade that the Lakers must pursue ahead of the trade deadline.
