Darvin Ham opens up about trading rumors and the group, doesn't deny them

With the upcoming NBA trade deadline and the Lakers having different struggles in the season, as they currently stand with a 23-23 record to be with a .500 in the 9th seed in the Western Conference, the front office is actively working on making a trade that can upgrade a key position and the team's roster.

Many names have been rumored to be in the mix to become trading assets, some of the most named have been D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura in a potential move for Dejounte Murray. Coach Darvin Ham opened up about how those rumors affect the Lakers locker room but didn't deny any specific report.

“At the end of the day, we’re all human. We’re focused on what we have in our locker room and the job we have to do to have some success with our group as it currently stands. All of the chatter, this, that, and the third, is getting out of control,” Ham said. “As opposed to back in the day when I first came in the league and you had to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television, everything is coming straight to your phone so it’s pretty much inescapable."

“But with that said, our guys for the most part have been professional and understand that it’s a part of the business. It can get messy at times, but it’s part of the business. So you just have to lock in with your group, whatever happens, happens. We can’t control it and waste energy and time trying to worry about it. You have to be the best professional you can be, be locked in with your group, and just work and try to get better every day.”

Ham admitted the Lakers are looking to improve their team in the long-term

To make a contending team, coach Darvin Ham has admitted the front office should do whatever they feel to improve the roster. “I mean, anytime there’s an availability to get better, I think you have to do your due diligence,” Ham said. “I think we’ve shown that we can play at a high level when we have guys available. People have mixed feelings about the In-Season Tournament, but those are some highly contested games, and the way our group came together for those games, particularly in Vegas, and the way we won, it was kind of an enigma, the game with New Orleans, but then you face a young, hot Indiana team. The way we handled both of those matchups, I think when we all come together and are on the same page, the sky is the limit."