Lakers News: NBA Insider Shares When He Expects Team to Make Roster Moves
Your Los Angeles Lakers' 2022 season may have officially begun, but the offseason rumors of additional roster moves are far from over.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski joined NBA Countdown to discuss when the Lakers may start to look for potential changes to the roster, most notably surrounding current starting point guard Russell Westbrook.
He said to not expect them to make a move before other teams know where they stand in terms of playoff position.
Take a look at the entire conversation below:
"I'm told to expect Rob Pelinka and the Lakers to wait until post-Thanksgiving, 20 games into the season, and see what teams may start pivoting who don't start off well, who decide that they may start to look to unload players and perhaps get involved in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes," Wojnarowski said. "[And] using that 2027, that 2029 pick, and of course Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract, to see what’s going to be out there in the marketplace."
Woj then went on to note that, due to the intrigue a prospect like Wembanyama presents, more teams will look to play for the draft lottery, as opposed to trying to qualify for the play-in tournament. That could put a ton of rival clubs into positions to be full-on sellers, which he said will lower the asking prices in potential deals.
That would be the best-case scenario for the Lakers, as they can try to make a win-now move that doesn't put too much of a wrench in their future plans. Ideally, L.A. would be able to hold on to at least one of its future first-round picks, instead of having to include both its 2027 and 2029 firsts in an exchange. Teams will get desperate. Los Angeles needs to be ready to strike.
