Lakers News: Latest Surrounding Possible Trades and Phil Jackson Return

It's been a trying time for the Los Angeles Lakers and new head coach Luke Walton. After starting the 2016-17 season at 10-10, which was far better than last year's start in which they didn't get their 10th win until February 2, the Lakers have lost eight straight games. 

They've been suffering from the injury bug lately, as both of their starting guards, Nick Young (calf) and D'Angelo Russell (knee), have been sidelined. 

With the Lakers looking to stop the skid and right the ship, here is the latest news from both the court and the front office.

    

Kupchak Gives the Kids the Keys Despite their struggles, which could be chalked up to inexperience, the Lakers aren't looking to make any moves at the moment to try and turn things around. General manager Mitch Kupchak told Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus:

We're fun to watch. We're very competitive. We love our coaching staff. We love our young players. We're going to have to be a little patient.

We're going to have to do our job, which is to look at opportunities that may come up in the next month or two. And if there are none—which is fine with me, because I like the young guys on the team—then during the offseason, we'll have to look at opportunities.

With a bevy of young talent that features Russell, guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Julius Randle, the Lakers have at times been one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the Western Conference. 



A big-name veteran could have been an option to bring on in an attempt to avoid stretches of down play like this, but Kupchak appearing to dispel those thoughts shows that the team's current hopes hinge on these youngsters. 

Knowing that their jobs are relatively safe could give them a world of confidence, which could help calm things down in the locker room. 

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