Lakers Trade Deadline Preview: Will Rob Pelinka Act Now or Try to Go Big This Summer?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers · Feb 3, 2026 · 35m

Thursday's NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Lakers are in a tough spot as they look to build around Luka Dončić.

The pressure for them to act is significant, but their assets are limited. The League might be active... but teams might collectively wait for the Giannis Sweepstakes to end before making their next moves. There aren't that many appealing players out there, anyway, and the best ones probably can't be had by the Lakers, anyway.

So maybe it's better to wait until this summer, right?

Well, that has its own set of problems for Rob Pelinka. First, while the Lakers might…