LOS ANGELES — A troubling loss to the defending champion Bucks on Tuesday night led to an uneasy admission within the Lakers‘ locker room: The roster is not working, and something must be done to get the team back on course with Thursday’s trade deadline fast approaching.
The suspicion had been mounting for weeks, if not months, for a Lakers team built with a title in mind, sources told ESPN. Thrashing along at 26-29 after the 131-116 loss to the Bucks, the clarity of the acknowledgment was tied to timing, sources said.
Los Angeles trailed Milwaukee by as many as 30 points as two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo started 11-for-11 from the field en route to a dominant 44-point, 14-rebound, 8-assist, 2-block night.
“It tells me we ain’t on their level,” LeBron James said flatly when asked whether the loss revealed anything about where the Lakers were at. “I mean, I could have told…
