Rob Pelinka. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Pelinka's decision to stand pat is what the Lakers needed

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 2/9/24

After months of speculation, the Los Angeles Lakers stood pat at the trade deadline. The Purple and Gold will now be relying on their current roster to prove last season's run to the Western Conference Finals wasn't a fluke.

On Friday, Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka explained to "Lakers Nation" why the Lakers didn't make a move at the deadline.

“My job is always to look for ways to upgrade our roster, but you can’t buy a house that’s not for sale," Pelinka said. "...The right move wasn’t there, and it’s a thoughtful and tricky calculus at times. … We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more impactful movement potentially in June and July."

Making a move at the trade deadline could have led the Lakers to overpay for talent. Teams around the league are aware of how Pelinka turned the team's fortunate around last season. They likely would have wanted a higher return this time around. Furthermore, Pelinka wanted to ensure he was adding high-level talent. More importantly, he didn't want to lose valued members of the rotation.

As such, he chose not to make a deal. Now, the Lakers have a plethora of trade assets for the summer. They will have a full season of data to help their decision-making process. It's also far easier to acquire players during the summer than it is midway through the season.

Of course, Pelinka also had to deal with the pressure being applied by LeBron James. The veteran forward wanted to see the franchise go all-in on a potential championship run. However, Pelinka's stance shows that he trusts the team he's constructed.

The Lakers have seldom been healthy this season. Once everyone is back on the court, things could look drastically different for Darvin Ham's team. The Lakers can still contend for a championship this season. It's essentially the same roster we saw last season. It may have been an unpopular decision, but Pelinka made the right call by not swinging for the fences on Thursday.

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