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The Los Angeles Lakers won their third straight game Monday, but they are still just 27-25 on the campaign and in ninth place in the Western Conference.
They will surely be one of the teams under the spotlight ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline as they balance a win-now approach with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster against a potential hesitancy to give up too many future assets to improve a team that may not be a true championship contender.
James was asked about it following Monday’s 124-118 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and told reporters, “this is who we have, so there’s nothing else to talk about.”
He was also asked if he believes the roster is good enough to compete for a title and provided more details.
“It’s not a question for me. I love who we have in the locker room. And that’s all I worry about.
“I don’t get caught up in that. We’re gonna go out and prepare ourselves every single night no matter what it is. No matter who’s out on this team. No matter what. So it’s my job and it’s AD’s job as the two captains to make sure we keep the main thing the main thing. The main focus is now: Thursday’s game at home. And look forward to that matchup.”
The Lakers don’t play again until after the trade deadline when they take on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in a Western Conference Finals rematch.
The front office will ultimately have to decide whether giving up a valuable future first-round draft pick or perhaps a talent like D’Angelo Russell will make the difference in this season’s outlook.
For his part, Russell told reporters, “I can’t control that my contract makes sense to be traded, so, just play.”
He played well Monday and finished with a team-high 28 points. James (26 points and seven assists) and Davis (26 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks) did much of the heavy lifting outside of Russell in a reminder about why this Lakers team is so unique.
After all, they are a step below the best teams in the league but could beat anyone on any given night with talents like James and Davis on the floor. That all but eliminates any rebuilding discussions and makes for an unclear approach to the deadline.
There will be more clarity on the overall roster for the stretch run when they play Thursday.
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