The Lakers did not make a trade at Thursday’s noon PST deadline, a move that at once signals they’re comfortable enough with their current roster, that they weren’t compelled by any perceived pressure from LeBron James and that their current roster is good enough to help push a .500 team into better position to contend.
The pursuit of Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray stalled out with the Hawks’ insistence on acquiring Austin Reaves, costs for coveted role players like Alex Caruso never dropped to reachable rates, and no move around the margins, where the Lakers said they planned to be aggressive, ever materialized, according to people familiar with the situation who are not authorized to speak publicly.