Los Angeles' two NBA teams were quiet Thursday morning as the league's deadline to make trades came and went without either team getting in on the action.
Unlike the previous season, which saw a bevy of roster moves for both teams, most notably the trade that brought the Lakers D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt by sending out Russell Westbrook, both of L.A.'s teams decided to watch from the sidelines.
For the red-hot Clippers, who sit fourth in the NBA Western Conference standings, the lack of movement isn't all that surprising. The team already made its big splash earlier this season, trading for disgruntled star Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden.
Despite some early season growing pains, including five consecutive losses to start off the new pairing, the Clippers are 31-14 since acquiring the 2017-18 NBA's Most Valuable Player with an overall record of 34-16.
Meanwhile, the Lakers sit at ninth in the Western Conference standings with a record of 29-27.
An underwhelming season, as well as some cryptic tweets from star LeBron James, left many wondering if the Lakers would be major buyers at the deadline. That turned out not to be the case.
Not particularly drowning in tradeable assets, the Lakers stood pat with the roster as currently constructed.
Much of the team that made a surprising run to the Western Conference Semifinals last season remains in place with James, costar Anthony Davis and key role-players Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura and the aforementioned Russell.
League insiders had reported that the Lakers had talks with the Atlanta Hawks on a trade that would exchange Russell and other assets for point guard Dejounte Murray. That trade did not materialize and neither guard ended up being moved.
ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers were active in trade discussions leading up to the deadline, but were unable to come to terms on any deals.
The team is now expected to be active on the buyout market, which is headlined by a handful of players who were traded Thursday and were expected to be waived from the team that acquired them.
Most notably, point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was born in L.A. and played high school ball in Woodland Hills, is among the team's targets, according to league insider Marc Stein. Dinwiddie was just traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors, but he is expected to reach agreement on a contract buyout with his new team that will allow him to become a free agent.
The Lakers have one open spot on their 15-man roster.
The Clippers may also have interest in adding talent via the buyout market to improve their championship odds. The team would need to create a roster spot if interested in acquiring any new players.