Over at The Athletic, Seth Portnow has issued his yearly "tiers" ratings, And while we're not yet at the main course (where do LeBron and Anthony Davis end up?) the series has already revealed a couple fairly devastating things about the Lakers, and the level of talent on the roster. Russell Westbrook, who cost the Lakers a first round pick and valuable depth, is near the bottom of Tier 5, ranked outside the top 100 players in the league. Meanwhile, no other Lakers (aside from James and Davis) will appear on the list at all.

Compared to other teams in the Western Conference, this illustrates a staggering lack of roster depth. Is there any way the Lakers can make it up? Even if you think their middle tier guys pop a little - think Lonnie Walker, Thomas Bryant, Talen Horton-Tucker, Austin Reaves - does that get them to the talent level of, say, Denver? Of Golden State?

Ummmmm..... no. It doesn't.

So how can they fix it? Well, with Donovan Mitchell trade rumors now swirling, it raises an interesting hypothetical. No, not for Mitchell (because Danny Ainge - DANNY AINGE - is not sending his star to the Lakers in a deal that includes Russell Westbrook). But if Utah really wants to rid themselves of salary, what if the Lakers took all their veterans (and the corresponding salary commitments) off their hands? Guys like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, Pat Beverley, and so on? Would it be worth making a deal for those guys, if it meant losing out on the opportunity to get someone like Kyrie Irving?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Russell Westbrook's relative standing in the NBA.

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers have a significant depth problem.

SEGMENT 3: Trade for depth or trade for stars?

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