The Los Angeles Lakers are 26-30 and sit ninth in the Western Conference. By any objective measure, this team has badly underperformed relative to preseason expectations.
Heading into last week’s NBA Trade Deadline, there was a lot of hope and prayer that LA would be able to make a miracle happen. Sure, they had no trade assets that anyone wanted and the best offer on the table was for 31-year-old John Wall – but there was still some optimism there.
Predicably enough, nothing materialized at the deadline.
Now, if the Lakers want any shot at improving the roster – the only way it happens is via the buyout market. Who are they targeting in said market?
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, don’t sleep on a potential reunion between LA and Dennis Schroder.
“The Lakers explored the possibility of trading for Schröder at the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Bill Oram reported. While there remains some division internally among the Lakers’ decision-makers regarding Schröder after his uncomfortable departure last summer, there is interest in bringing him back as a backup point guard, according to league sources.”
The Lakers are down bad right now. If Schroder is this group’s hope for salvation, you know they’re in trouble.
One of the team’s two superstars actively hated playing alongside Schroder last season. Moreover, Schroder himself has gone into great detail over the past year regarding why he couldn’t play alongside LeBron James.
Schroder is a talented player, but there is a reason the Boston Celtics unloaded him last week. If he’s the guy you are counting on to turn your season around – your season is already over.
That’s certainly one way to make a Super Bowl pick. https://t.co/u5dFj628Z8
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 12, 2022
For better or worse, this is the Lakers team that will finish the season out.
And if past is prologue, we know exactly what the remainder of the year will look like for them.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
