The moves had to change things up, right?
The Los Angeles Lakers made some much-needed moves at this year’s NBA trade deadline. LA revamped its roster and will look to make a final surge into the postseason that begins in mid-April.
The Lakers traded guard Russell Westbrook and their 2027 protected first-round pick in exchange for D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers got rid of a guard who can’t shoot and is turnover prone and turned it into a solid point guard who can shoot, a really good three-point shooter and a high-energy player.
Because of this, the Lakers championship odds slightly increased.
The Lakers odds went up from +4200 to +3900, and this was only after the three-team trade.
At the moment, Fanduel has the Lakers tied with the 11th-best odds to win the NBA championship at +5500. The Boston Celtics have the best odds at +270, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks at +410 and the Phoenix Suns at +500.
LA also traded for Orlando Magic big man Mo Bamba and got rid of guard Patrick Beverley, and flipped Thomas Bryant for a flyer on Denver Nuggets reserve guard Davon Reed and (more importantly) picks. So now, the Lakers have five new players, six if you want to include Rui Hachimura.
LA is currently fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament, but are just a few games out of avoiding it altogether and being a top-six seed.
The Western Conference is so jam-packed, so a little run from the Lakers could get them into perfect position to make a deep run in the playoffs.
