Lakers Rumors: LA's Leaders Believe Team Is a Couple of Players Away from Contending

All hope is not lost for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are off to a 7-11 start and on the outside of the Western Conference playoff and play-in picture in the early going.

The Lakers are only a couple of players away from turning this group into a legitimate contender according to sources in the locker room.

The report came before the Lakers played the Pacers.

The Lakers did not want to give up their first-round picks and the trade that would have sent Turner and Hield to the purple and gold fell apart.

Turner said that if he were the Lakers, he would take a very hard look at the situation. I know what I can do for a team, and that's my leadership, my shot-blocking, my three-point ability and my ability to make plays on the floor.

The line to walk for the Lakers is difficult.

On the other hand, Hield and Turner would provide some much needed outside shooting for a team that is 28th in the league at 31.9 percent from deep. The team is in a good position because of the fact that they have a player option on James' contract and he will be 38 in December.

The front office might decide that going all-in on this team isn't worth sacrificing the future with those draft picks.

If the Lakers aren't good enough to make a deep playoff run even with Hield and Turner, then such a move would be detrimental to rebuilding the next contender.

The argument could be made that trading him away could hurt on the court even if it allowed the Lakers to move on from his contract.

The front office has a lot of work to do, but some within the locker room still believe they can win a championship.