The Los Angeles Lakers proved their naysayers wrong during the trade season in the sense that they completed a deal before the Feb. 5 deadline.
However, while Luke Kennard, whom the Lakers acquired from the Atlanta Hawks last Thursday, has already started his tenure with Los Angeles on a positive note (he contributed 10 points on 57.1% field goal shooting and 50.0% three-point shooting against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday), he isn’t considered a blockbuster acquisition.
Considering there were plenty of high-level targets available on this year’s trade market, it’s disappointing that the Lakers only walked away with Kennard in the end.
To make matters worse, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka’s reasoning for Los Angeles’ disappointing trade season should enrage the franchise’s fan base.
“I would say we were aggressive," Pelinkasaid Saturday. "One form of being aggressive is saying no to moves that come your way that might not be best for the short and long-term future. ... It's hard to say no sometimes to getting a good player that could be a quick short-term fix.”
If being aggressive means declining offers for players that’ll likely be impactful from the get-go in Pelinka’s eyes, then the Lakers have a serious problem going forward.
Whether short- or long-term assets, the Lakers' goal should always be to add contributors who fit the franchise’s offensive and defensive schemes and improve their championship odds. Failure to do so will make it difficult for the Lakers to maximize Luka Doncic’s prime and give him the best possible chance to win multiple titles in Los Angeles.
Pelinka shouldn’t be satisfied with the Lakers’ performance during the trade season.
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