The Lakers aren't really interested in these two players

The Lakers are still trying to make a move before training camp to improve their roster. But it seems that Rob Pelinka is only willing to offer the Lakers' first round picks in order to get Kyrie Irving and no one else. Despite the reports that said the Lakers might try to add  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner from the Pacers, it seems those are no longer viable options. Right now, the Lakers still have a below-average roster.

According to NBA analyst, Marc Stein, Rob Pelinka doesn't believe the two players make them title contenders. "As previously reported here regarding the Lakers’ recent trade talks with Indiana, they did not show a willingness to make both picks available in proposals exchanged with the Pacers to potentially bring Buddy Hield and Myles Turner to L.A. The implication there is that adding Turner and Hield is not believed to be sufficient to vault the Lakers back into the title mix."

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The Lakers have a bottom ten roster in the League and despite signing LeBron James to a two-year extension, they haven't done enough during this off season to fight for a spot in the playoffs in the upcoming season. They have replaced their veterans with some talent, but nothing that can improve their record exponentially. The Lakers still have time to make a move, but they are looking too passive right now.

It's also worth noticing that  the Lakers don't have first round picks to upgrade their roster until possibly 2027. This puts them into a win or bust mentality for the next two years when they have LeBron James in their team. But as they can only improve via trades or the offseason, they should start making some moves to help the ‘King’ fight for another championship. At least that was the understanding that James had with the Lakers front office.

Where do the Lakers rank in the West?

If the Lakers want to win another championship in the upcoming season, they will have to go through some tough competition, especially in the West. They have at least five teams that on paper look way better than them. The defending Champions, Golden State, are the favorites in the conference. The Clippers look scary as they will now have Kawhi Leonard healthy. Luka Doncic's Mavs and Ja Morant's Grizzlies are also two teams that stand above the Lakers. The Suns might also be above the Purple and Gold.