Anthony Davis asked for reinforcements. The Lakers exchanged him for Luka Doncic. That was a move for the baton to shift to a new face of the franchise. However, Rob Pelinka missed the basic principle: one man can’t win you a championship. Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring, but the Lakers are barely hovering in contention talks.

That’s led to a fiery admission from Yahoo’s Caroline Fenton. After the Lakers were exposed by the Spurs, she fired a shot at their poorly built roster.

“I do think the Lakers are a fraudulent basketball team. When you come into the season with championship-caliber expectations, you don’t make a move to trade for Luka Doncic if you’re not trying to capitalize on a championship window,” she said on Yahoo Sports Daily.

The numbers show the Lakers have overperformed expectations thus far. According to Cleaning The Glass, the Lakers’ net differential should see them sit at wins. They are the only top six seeds in either conference with a negative net rating. When faced against another contender, the team has failed to stand tall.

In 16 games against teams with a record above .500, the Lakers are 7-9. Their subpar defense saw the Lakers lead 66 points in the paint against the Spurs. They have struggled to contain bottom-table teams, too. Still, their offense tends to be overwhelming against such sides. That’s not the case against elite teams.

“I don’t think this team is a championship team. If this team can’t play better defense. If they can’t consistently beat off on other playoff-caliber teams, then yes, they are fraudulent.” Fenton doubled down.

And sadly, Pelinka might not have the opportunity to make any significant upgrades this season.

Are all doors to improvement shut for the Lakers?

In order for the Los Angeles Lakers to be contenders, Rob Pelinka and the front office need to address the team’s flaws. Deandre Ayton added size and provided some strong performances. However, his effort and inability to be a rim protector have left a huge void within the Lakers.

Doncic and Reaves aren’t great defenders. Players blow by them at a high percentage, which makes it integral to have a shot blocker. The Lakers could have addressed it had the trade for Mark Williams not been rescinded. Now, there are barely any players on the market that the Lakers can approach with their assets.

If not a shot blocker, then the Lakers would need a perimeter defense specialist to limit the work Ayton has to do. The Pelicans Herb Jones and Trey Murphy are both expensive targets, but proven 3-and-D players. The gamble Pelinka can maybe take is on Keon Ellis, the Kings’ ball hawk, who has found it hard to get consistent minutes. At the very least, he’s a consistent shooter, which is also something the Lakers need.

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However, Ellis is a coveted commodity in trade season. Virtually, the Lakers are thin on options, even if they wanted to make upgrades. It seems giving up Austin Reaves is the only way to get a long-term piece on their term. If we’re being honest, they aren’t letting AR15 go. JJ Redick being demanding of the team and it getting through: that might be the only way to inspire two-way performances.

What do you think the Lakers should do? Let us know your views in the comments below.