Lakers ‘leaning’ toward upgrading roster, not chasing a third star on trade market

The Lakers fell short of a title but are potentially looking to improve through roster upgrades instead of a third star.

The Lakers have hinted at pursuing a third star this summer. Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka stated this to the media after the trade deadline, saying the franchise could make an impactful move "potentially in June and July."

Well, June is here and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, in his latest mailbag piece on his YouTube, discussed why the third star option may be more theoretical than inevitable.

“As far as what I think the Lakers are going to do, my sense is they are leaning more toward upgrading the supporting cast rather than the three-star model and I say that for a couple reasons. One, it’s difficult to trade for a star. There’s going to be a lot of competition this offseason so I think if a star is willing to demand a trade and say that they only want to go to the Lakers or make it a very short list where the Lakers have the assets to compete with the teams on that list then, sure, I think the Lakers can land that type of star.

But there’s also a lot of uncertainty right now where we don’t know what star is going to be available in Cleveland…We don’t know which star guard will be available in Atlanta. We don’t know if there’s going to be another star that becomes available. Is Mikal Bridges available in Brooklyn? There’s still a lot of uncertainty as of right now in terms of which stars are actually going to be available closer to the draft and free agency when the Lakers would be potentially looking to make a big, splashy trade.”

If the Lakers don't trade for a big star, I think it'll be hard for fans to be excited heading into the 2024-25 season. If the improvements are just the supporting cast, how much higher can this team go compared to its current placement?

Will upgrades around the margins truly move the needle enough for the team to contend?

The Lakers could be looking at the Dallas Mavericks as the blueprint. They missed the playoffs a year ago, but by keeping the duo of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving together and building around them, they are in the NBA Finals.

Fans want the Lakers to pursue Donovan Mitchell, but as Buha points out, it's uncertain if he will be made available in the offseason.

Atlanta Hawks guards Dejounte Murray and Trae Young have been connected to the Lakers in plenty of rumors since January. Yet, nothing has ever happened, so perhaps this summer will be a rerun of the winter with those players.

Mikal Bridges is an interesting trade target who averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists on a bad Brooklyn Nets team. The vision for that organization is anyone's guess, but if they decide to be sellers, maybe Bridges can be a move that improves the team. Hopefully, it doesn't cost the Lakers all their assets to get it done.

Rumors are always interesting and enticing, but it takes two teams to trade. Both sides must desire a deal. Right now, it seems like we are just too far away from a trade being imminent or inevitable.

That doesn't mean things can't change from now until the Fourth of July weekend, but the only things the Lakers can control are their NBA Draft decisions, assessing their players and upcoming free agents.

Executing a trade will involve Pelinka working his magic on the phone and making sure any move he makes improves the team and doesn't set them back for years to come. He was patient during the trade deadline; let's see if he can do the same this summer and only make a deal if it brings the Lakers closer to a title.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.