Both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are among the teams in either the first or second apron following Thursday's NBA trade deadline, according

The team added Luka Doncic, Mark Williams, Dorian Finney-Smith and three other players over the past six weeks, deals that appear to have short- and long-term benefits.

However, the present-day Lakers' roster still needed to be refined if the organization was serious about chasing a title in 2025. While the Lakers now had an abundance of scoring power in the James-Doncic duo, the team lacked a notable frontcourt and quality defense.