We always talk about the Los Angeles Lakers are all of the offseason additions they made this past offseason, but the one thing that always gets overlooked is that this team that is full of offensive talent with LeBron James and Anthony Davis is the best defensive team in the entire NBA. The Lakers currently rank 1st in defensive efficiency this season and it is in large part because of all of the players on this team buying into Frank Vogel’s coaching philosophy. 

Whether it is stopping the ball in transition or rotating onto a bigger opponent, this team is always sacrificing their personal games on the defensive-end of the court and as a result, they control the pace of every single game they play and have a chance to win against anyone. 

It obviously helps to have talents like LeBron James and Anthony Davis on this team as well. At 36-years old now, LeBron James is still playing at a high-level and has not shown any signs of clowning down this year. 

LeBron James is currently averaging 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.9 assists and is shooting 39.1% from three-point range, which is one of the best shooting percentages from deep in his career. He is a legit NBA MVP candidate this season and has Los Angeles on-track to make another deep postseason run in hopes of winning back-to-back NBA titles. 

Could this Lakers team get even better at the NBA trade deadline though? GM Rob Pelinka is no stranger to looking for more talent to add to his team, which is why the Lakers could be in the market to make a move with the Sacramento Kings. Reliable play at the center position has been hard to come by for L.A. this year, which is why Hassan Whiteside could be a realistic target for them.

Whiteside is one of the better shot-blockers in the league and with him being on a minimum contract, they could easily pull off a trade to acquire him and another impact veteran player. Let’s take a look at a potential trade between the Lakers and the Kings involving Hassan Whiteside.