Lakers News: LA Drops in the Week 17 Power Rankings Following the Inactive Trade Deadline.
Despite the considerable pre-deadline speculation surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, the team ultimately remained inactive on the trade front. The trade deadline turned out to be uneventful for the purple and gold. Nevertheless, the Lakers concluded the week with a 2-1 record, including a challenging home loss to the Denver Nuggets. Despite their recent solid performance, the Lakers found themselves stagnant in many NBA power rankings, as observers expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s decision not to make moves at the trade deadline.
In the rankings, Zach Harper of The Athletic dropped the Lakers one spot to No. 17, criticizing their hands-off approach and suggesting they should have been more aggressive in pursuing players like Dejounte Murray. Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports moved the Lakers down two spots to No. 13, highlighting the team’s lack of activity at the trade deadline and noting the reminder of their distance from championship contention in the loss to Denver. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints was even more critical, lowering the Lakers four spots to No. 19, emphasizing the missed opportunity to bolster the roster.
While the Lakers didn’t make moves at the trade deadline, they were active in the buyout market, acquiring guard Spencer Dinwiddie. However, opinions vary on Dinwiddie’s impact, with some suggesting it doesn’t significantly improve the team. Despite these concerns, the Lakers currently hold a two-game advantage above .500 and remain within reach of a top-six seed in the competitive Western Conference. The narrative emphasizes the challenges ahead for the Lakers and underscores the importance of performing at their best to compete with any team in the league.
