On Thursday, many Lakers fans became enraged that the team did not make a move to make the roster better before the trade deadline. There was a reason for that.
Kobe Bryant’s death not only shook the world, but it shook the Lakers front office so badly that they elected to not move anybody on the team in the wake of Kobe’s death.
“There was not a lot of appetite for changing things,” one team source said. “There wasn’t a lot of appetite for telling players they’re going to Minnesota or Atlanta or somewhere, Charlotte, wherever. If there’s an offer you can’t say no to, of course, you’re going to take it. But the idea of breaking things up after what’s happened with Kobe, it wasn’t something anyone seemed to want to do.”
The team has been grieving heavily since the shocking news which caused them to ask the NBA to postpone a game against the Clippers just days after Kobe’s death. Not to mention, there was a public mourning going on inside Staples Center during the first game back as well as fans leaving a huge memorial for their fallen hero outside the stadium.
One of the names that was rumored to be on the move was Kyle Kuzma, but ultimately the team elected to keep all their pieces in play.
