The Lakers, tired and shorthanded, are slumping as trade and buyout rumors start flying!

That the Lakers are slumping without Anthony Davis (calf strain) and Dennis Schröder (health and safety protocols) in the lineup isn't exactly a surprise. Most teams would suffer without an all-world guy like Davis, and the type of dynamic scorer that Schröder is, particularly when nobody left on the roster not named LeBron James can serve as that type of offensive catalyst.

The Lakers, in short, are having trouble scoring. Why? We mentioned the absences, and then there's the shooting. It remains horrible over the month of February, with the team under 30 percent from beyond the arc. They're just not making shots. One reason might be fatigue. The team, as a group, looks physically and mentally tired. And who can blame them? Honestly, if there was a way for LeBron to sit for 10 days without any real threat to his health, we'd be up for it... and toss out a couple strategies to make it happen.

Can the Lakers preserve enough energy to get them to the playoffs and thrive?

Finally, we're getting to everyone's favorite part of the season, trades and buyouts and free agency! This week, the Lakers were tied to a couple of Houston Rockets, P.J. Tucker and DeMarcus Cousins. One (Tucker) could be had via trade, the other (Cousins) as a street free agent once the Rockets release him as expected. Which guy makes more sense for the Lakers? Which guy is more gettable? We break it all down.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.