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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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Many view the Los Angeles Lakers as a team that will make a big splash with the NBA trade deadline looming.
The Feb. 5 deadline is set to be action packed and the Lakers are expected to be at the forefront of it. That has been the case for LA for the past handful of years, and if they want any chance at competing this season, they could complete a trade or two in the coming weeks.
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However, a trade the Lakers can complete is easier said than done, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps reported that LA has hard-capped itself below the NBA's salary cap first-apron. Because of that, the Lakers currently have about $1 million in space.
This means that the Lakers have locked themselves into a strict spending limit (the first apron), and they’re now very close to that limit. On top of that, it makes it harder to add players or match bigger salaries in trades unless they move money out first.
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The Lakers' trade options are limited, and this recent assessment from an anonymous Western Conference executive paints a grim outlook for LA's hopes of upgrading the roster this season.
"They just need to fast-forward to the offseason. They can't realistically add to the roster. They don't have a solve. They're focused on keeping cap space and trying to do moves on the margins, and it's hard to find a lot that makes sense."
At the start of the season, many would have said the Lakers are a trade or two away from being legitimate title contenders. However, two-plus months into the season, and LA appears to be some ways away. Their defense has been suspect, to say the least, all season. They rank 21st in defensive rating, 16th in opponents' points per game, 16th in opponent points in the paint and 27th in opponent effective field goal percentage.
While they possess the starpower in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, the rest of the roster is shaky. Still, they sit with the fourth-best record in a loaded Western Conference at 23-12.
LA has enough to win a series or two in the playoffs, possibly, but their chances of hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy this season are slim to none, even with a trade.
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