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Two of the teams that definitely need to do something at the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will be disappointingly silent.
Both franchises have made smaller moves to date, with the Warriors trading for Dennis Schröder and the Lakers swapping D’Angelo Russell and some second-rounders for Dorian Finney-Smith. Neither trade has moved the needle, however, as Golden State has gone just 8-11 with Schröder while Los Angeles is 4-5 when Finney-Smith plays.
A big move for both franchises is needed to get back into championship contention. Neither fanbase should hold their breath, however.
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers have been very protective of their future first-round picks and still have possession of their 2029 and 2031 first-rounders.
Los Angeles has enough assets to land a third star, yet has long seemed more interested in holding on to future picks instead of maximizing the remaining few years of the greatest basketball player in history. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have stated that the team has to play perfect basketball in order to win with the current roster, with Davis publicly declaring his desire for the team to trade for a center, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Stephen Curry has stated that he doesn’t want the Warriors to make a desperate trade that would deplete the future, although Golden State has six first-round picks they can outright trade or agree to swap, with only a 2030 first-rounder (top-20 protected) owed to the Washington Wizards.
With players like Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine, Cameron Johnson, CJ McCollum, Jerami Grant and others available and All-Stars like LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson facing questionable futures with their teams, big moves can be found that would really elevate both the Lakers and Warriors.
In the end, nothing will materialize, leaving James, Curry and others fighting just to make the playoffs.
