{"id":89281,"date":"2024-08-07T12:15:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T16:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=89281"},"modified":"2024-08-07T12:15:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T16:15:36","slug":"report-reasons-behind-lakers-dormant-offseason-revealed-rob-pelinka-jeanie-buss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/07\/report-reasons-behind-lakers-dormant-offseason-revealed-rob-pelinka-jeanie-buss\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Reasons Behind Lakers Dormant Offseason Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers have tried and failed to add any new talent to their roster over the last few months. Now, according to reporting from LakersDaily writer Anthony Irwin, fans may know why that\u2019s the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

Report: Reasons Behind Lakers Dormant Offseason Revealed<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lakers Viewed as \u201cInept and Desperate\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n

Irwin\u2019s piece<\/span><\/a> detailed multiple factors behind why the Lakers were sleeping giants this summer. Among them, he highlighted issues with ownership and their reluctance to make drastic changes after the <\/span>Russell Westbrook<\/span><\/a> debacle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>As an organization, it\u2019s painfully aware that another misstep of that magnitude would absolutely close their title window. It would also force Jeanie Buss\u2019 hand in making structural changes she absolutely does not want to make.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result is a franchise paralyzed on every major decision.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Such indecisiveness is not the only factor behind the Lakers\u2019 stagnant offseason. Many fans point out an apparent \u201cLakers tax\u201d that comes with every negotiation involving the purple and gold. Irwin confirmed that and more, stating they were hindered by \u201c<\/span>a league that feels it can take advantage of what it considers an inept and desperate organization,\u201d and adding:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c…sources close to the Lakers and around the league feel the executives on the other side of negotiations inflated the asking price in the hopes of taking advantage of a front office that needs to do <\/span>something.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The latest example of those inflated negotiations came in trade talks for <\/span>Jerami Grant<\/span><\/a>, in which Rob Pelinka and Portland GM Joe Cronin <\/span>initially agreed on a deal before Pelinka backed out at the last minute<\/span><\/a>. An NBA scout told Irwin:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Cronin asking for two first-rounders for Jerami Grant is hilarious. Portland traded one first for him and then gave him that terrible contract. Why would he be more valuable now than he was when they landed him two years ago? But it\u2019s what you can do when you feel like the other team is desperate.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do the Rumors Hold Weight?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Based on the Lakers\u2019 lack of decision-making and this newfound reporting, fans may have a concrete answer as to why the team hasn’t landed anybody new. The Lakers\u2019 previous trade targets\u2014for example, <\/span>Dejounte Murray<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Klay Thompson<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>DeMar DeRozan<\/span><\/a>\u2014were all moved for what seems like pennies on the dollar this summer. If the Lakers had managed to get serious in those talks, rival execs would have likely asked for the whole farm and then some. The team would have sacrificed depth for a shot at contention\u2014again\u2014without certainty that the risk would be worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers Lack of Help Coincides with Davis Interview<\/b><\/h3>\n

This news coincides with an interview <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a> did with <\/span>Andscape’s Marc Spears<\/span><\/a> during the Olympics, in which he revealed how he\u2019s adapted while playing with Team USA:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have an unselfish mindset like I do where I don\u2019t have to score \u2014 I\u2019m a two-way player, so I don\u2019t have to score every time down the floor or try to score the basketball. I can let these guys do what they do best, and I can defer to the defensive end and block shots.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That mindset is exactly why Davis has been able to make an impact no matter what position he\u2019s in with Team USA, where he\u2019s <\/span>averaged<\/span><\/a> 9.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game so far. But the second part should ring alarm bells in the minds of Lakers fans. Throughout the 76 games he played this season\u2014and really, throughout his tenure as a Laker\u2014Davis has had to be Superman, or, at the very least, alternate with <\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a> in the roles of Batman and Robin. Davis continues to dominate with team USA, all without exerting as much energy compared to his workload in an NBA season.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what does that mean for the Lakers? That Davis and James still need help. Everyone seems to notice that\u2014except for the people tasked with improving the roster. Yes, hardships arise on any team\u2019s journey to a title, particularly in the offseason. But, when those challenges lead to a revolving door of early playoff exits, that\u2019s when the team should turn words into actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Lakers\u2019 reasons for a struggling summer are finally out there. However, it only adds more pressure on the front office to do something between now and <\/span>the October preseason<\/span><\/a>, which presents another layer the team must cut through. While this year\u2019s Lakers team still has potential with <\/span>the return and growth of key players<\/span><\/a>, time is running out for them to set up a real title contender. Betting on themselves is a double-edged sword. It could turn into a one-in-a-million success story or a recipe for disaster.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers have tried and failed to add any new talent to their roster over the last few months. Now, according to reporting from LakersDaily writer Anthony Irwin, fans may know why that\u2019s the case. Report: Reasons Behind Lakers Dormant Offseason Revealed Lakers Viewed as \u201cInept and Desperate\u201d Irwin\u2019s piece detailed multiple factors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":80516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62,23],"tags":[49059,240,1628,38,4557],"class_list":["post-89281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","category-trailblazers","tag-2024-nba-free-agents","tag-anthony-davis","tag-jerami-grant","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-offseason"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}