So, Mitch Kupchak recently came out and said that the Lakers may need to make a trade before the deadline to help shake them out of the rut they seem to be in lately.  Some people, like former Lakers great Jerry West, seem to think the Lakers are getting too old, and a trade would be an opportunity to get younger.  Here is the link for the article where West said they are getting old, http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6053767

However, I think this is nothing more than an attempt by management, and maybe Phil Jackson as well, to utilize the media to get a message across to the rest of the team.  This is a classic Lakers move.  Many people in the Lakers franchise have used the media to bring about change:  Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant both used the media to stir the front office into bringing in supporting talent, and Phil Jackson, the Zen master, is notorious for using the media as a medium for coaching.  I think that the front office probably is not actually looking to make a move, rather they’re just hoping to light a fire under the current players.