The Los Angeles Lakers know that their time to compete for NBA championships is now. They agreed to an extension with LeBron James, which guarantees that he will be with the purple and gold through 2024. After that, he has made it clear that he will end up wherever his son, Bronny, lands.

That gives the Lakers two seasons to get things back on track and vie for another Larry O’Brien trophy. After missing the playoffs last season, there is a lot of work to do when it comes to the roster.

While they would love to hit the redo button on the Russell Westbrook trade, that is easier said than done. Westbrook doesn’t have much value around the league and to move him, teams are asking for two first-round picks to be attached to him.

To this point, that isn’t something that Rob Pelinka and the front office have been willing to do. However, that is a stance they may have to adjust down the road if they are to make a push during the 2022-23 campaign.

The Lakers know that they have to exhibit some patience and according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, they are willing to do so. They are going to try their best to add some impact players to the roster around James, but he knows that it could take some time for a move of that magnitude to come together.

“[LeBron James] recognizes that it could lead up all the way to the trade deadline before that type of deal could occur.”

All of the players mentioned in the tweet above would certainly help the Lakers, but figuring out compensation on those deals is not easy. Los Angeles doesn’t have many tradable assets outside of the 2027 and 2029 first-round picks unless they made someone such as Anthony Davis available in trade.

While Davis would certainly bring back a solid trade package, trading him would likely end their chances of competing over the next two seasons with James on the roster. Darvin Ham will have to make things work with what he currently has unless a minor miracle occurs and the team can flip Westbrook’s contract for multiple pieces without surrendering all of their available draft capital.

More NBA News & Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers & LeBron James

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