The Los Angeles Lakers were silent at the trade deadline and with good reason.
Teams were making it clear that the Lakers either didn’t have enough to acquire their target or they would have to overpay to get their target.
Instead of panicking, Rob Pelinka pivoted to Plan B and via the waiver wire, LA added Spencer Dinwiddie.
The veteran’s first order of business is loud and clear. Play well enough to limit minutes of LeBron James.
If the Lakers could get more out of the second unit, it would provide a chance for Darvin Ham to reduce James’ minutes but that would require Dinwiddie to turnaround a season that has seen lows in several categories in five years.
Los Angeles sits in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Ham and the Lakers can’t depend on getting from the Play-In Tournament to the conference finals for the second consecutive season.
LA is four games out of sixth place but to catch the New Orleans Pelicans, they would have to pass Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. Considering how the Mavericks are playing after the trade deadline, that could be a tall order.
But the addition of Dinwiddie will put Los Angeles in position to make a run especially in limited minutes, Dinwiddie can be productive with the second unit.
