The Los Angeles Lakers are at 12-9 on the season after losing five of their last seven games. LeBron James is currently experiencing his worst shooting slump in his career, and he is also suffering from a growing number of injuries.

The depth of this Lakers roster already raised serious questions. The Lakers are severely lacking in the frontcourt following the loss to Jarred Vanderbilt and the injuries to Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes. It’s understandable why the Lakers are having trouble winning when you consider Austin Reaves’ recent absence from games.

Fans of the Lakers are, of course, demanding a trade. The squad needs to strengthen its shooting and perimeter defense, as well as add depth to its big man rotation. The Lakers front management is apparently waiting to act, despite the clear need for improvements in a number of areas. According to a Tuesday report by Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team will exercise patience and hold off on making a trade until at least January.

NBA News: The Lakers Will Not Be Trading Anytime Soon

GM Rob Pelinka reportedly wanted to wait 30 games to assess the roster prior to the season. Thus, this is consistent with the statements made by the front desk from the start. Even so, hearing this is disheartening because things have changed.

Early in the season, LeBron James appears to be a step slower, and the frontcourt appears thinner than expected. The Lakers must upgrade immediately rather than waiting to see what deals are available at the trade deadline. It is yet unknown if Pelinka & co. can accomplish this.

Updates on Jimmy Butler’s injury before the Miami Heat vs. Lakers game.

After dropping their last two games, the Miami Heat (9-10) are facing a challenging three-game schedule that begins Wednesday night against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers and ends over the weekend with back-to-back home games against the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Will Jimmy Butler, who was not present at Monday’s Boston Celtics game, face LeBron James, though? Who are the Lakers going to miss? Additionally, we already know that a star player will miss the weekend due to injury. Let’s examine the most recent injury news.

Injury report for the Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler was absent from Monday’s Heat defeat in Boston, which began a run of games against four consecutive contenders. The Heat will need Butler to win, despite the Lakers’ recent struggles.

Butler’s right knee pain raises doubts. Butler was unable to finish the game in a close loss on Sunday after suffering the injury when he fell awkwardly. Before being declared out of the game on Monday in Boston, Butler was doubtful. On Tuesday, he practiced at Kaseya Center in hopes of making a comeback. An further update will be given closer to the tipoff time of 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Kevin Love, who missed the previous game due to back spasms, is likely to return. He ought to regain his position as Bam Adebayo’s main backup in the rotation.

Due to a sprained left ankle, Nikola Jovic was upgraded to questionable. For the past five games, Jovic has not participated. Three due to coach Erik Spoelstra’s decision, and two due to injury.

Josh Richardson’s right heel pain led to his relegation to doubtful. The heel problem is new because he was previously reported as unwell on the injury report.

Injury report for the Los Angeles Lakers

First, Anthony Davis and LeBron James are healthy. With a left foot ailment, Davis is listed as probable and is anticipated to play.

Austin Reaves was downgraded to out due to a left pelvic injury, thus the Lakers will play without him. Due to their individual ailments, rotation bigs Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes are still out.

News of Kevin Durant’s injuries

ESPN reports that Suns star Kevin Durant will get another evaluation in a week after injuring his ankle during Tuesday’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter. He will miss Phoenix’s next three games as a result, including their tip against the Heat on Saturday.