(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers headed into the 2023-24 NBA regular season with arguably one of the most talented rosters, with many believing Darvin Ham’s squad was the deepest team in the league.
With 35 games played this season thus far, the Lakers no longer look like the intimidating roster that many thought would make this team one of the best in the Western Conference and potentially a team that could take down the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series.
After losing to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, with star Jimmy Butler missing the game due to an injury, the Lakers have officially dropped below .500 on the season, and it seems as though Los Angeles could be headed toward a disappointing end of the 2023-24 campaign.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacted to the Lakers losing their ninth game in 12 games and referred to the storied franchise as an “absolute mess” on ESPN’s First Take.
“[The Lakers] are an absolute mess. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve got a roster rife with individuals who have betrayed Lebron James, they have betrayed Anthony Davis, they have betrayed Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka,” Smith said.
With the Lakers currently sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference with a disappointing record of 17-18, Rob Pelinka and company might be forced to make a move or two before the NBA trade deadline on February 8.
As usual, the Lakers have been linked to a number of players on the trade market, with Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, and DeMar DeRozan being the top names the team could go after in the coming weeks.
Only time will tell what the Lakers brass decides to do, but one thing is for sure, the team can’t continue on this path, or heads will roll in Los Angeles, potentially starting with Ham.
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