The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to improve the roster for next season as we approach the 2024 NBA Draft and free agency. They will presumably be active in the trade market to try to construct a championship-caliber roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
A big obstacle in their way to winning a title is how stacked the Western Conference is. The Lakers have lost to the Denver Nuggets in the past two postseasons but they have to deal with rising contenders like the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Mavericks, as well as veteran teams like the Suns, Clippers, and the Warriors.
Fortunately for the Lakers, however, drama, uncertainty, and trade speculations have begun to emerge for one of their biggest division foes and title favorites.
NBA News: Trade Rumors Swirling About Suns Superstars
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell on Tuesday night that the Houston Rockets are interested in acquiring Kevin Durant or Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns. With this objective in mind, they acquired Phoenix’s future first-round picks from the Nets so that they can use it in a trade with the Suns.
We have heard no indication that the Suns are in fact interested in moving Booker or Durant. Obviously, if they did move either one of them, they would no longer be considered a favorite in the Western Conference. However, the fact that teams are preparing trade offers for Phoenix’s stars, however, signals that the Booker-KD pairing might not last too long.
Despite being considered a superteam at the beginning of the season, the Suns disappointed in a big way, getting swept by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. Another slow start to the 2024-25 season could force the Suns to move on from their stars and rebuild. This could make the Lakers the favorites in the Pacific Division for the foreseeable future.
