This season’s NBA trade deadline was dominated by seismic moves for superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But the league’s most improved team since – one that entered deadline day 13th in the Western Conference – didn’t trade for an All-Star. In fact, it subtracted one.

Even with LeBron James sidelined by a foot injury, the Los Angeles Lakers have transformed from an early-season laughingstock into a feisty squad no one wants to see on their upcoming schedule.

Much ink was spilled about how poorly the Lakers had built around James and Anthony Davis over the last two years. Through the first half of the season, L.A. remained painfully devoid of quality NBA depth, shooting, or secondary creation, unless you believed Russell Westbrook’s high-turnover, low-efficiency game fit the bill.

The Lakers had a laundry list of needs and limited assets or avenues to improve, and they seemed to be banking on an underwhelming 2023 free-agent class. Then, though perhaps it may prove far too late, general manager Rob Pelinka went to work.

Pelinka, whose performance in recent years made L.A.’s front office an easy target for criticism, found a way to quickly address virtually all of his team’s needs. As part of a three-team deadline-day deal with Minnesota and Utah, the Lakers turned Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-rounder into D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley.

They also executed a four-team trade with Orlando, Denver, and the Clippers that saw them turn Patrick Beverley and Thomas Bryant into Mo Bamba, Davon Reed, and a couple of second-rounders. Weeks before the deadline, the Lakers also dealt Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks to Washington for Rui Hachimura.

But the deal that netted them Russell, Vanderbilt, and Beasley is what truly changed the trajectory of their season.