The Los Angeles Lakers had a rollercoaster of the season; They started 2-10, worked their way into play, run, and eventually lost to the champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
LeBron James is one of the greatest players of all time and it’s always make or break for him, but after several disappointing seasons, this has been a great year for them. Free agency officially begins today at 5 p.m. ET; See below for what the Lakers need to do in the offseason to ensure they can compete for a championship in 2024.
Thing #3: Hold on to their restricted free agents.
After the 2021 season, Alex Caruso, who had played a pivotal role in the Lakers championship the previous year, had his contract negotiated as a restricted free agent. Caruso wanted to be a Laker, but the Lakers didn’t offer a contract that he felt was fair, and he ended up signing with the Chicago Bulls for four years, $36 million.
Austin Reeves and Roy Hoichimaru are in similar off-season situations, and the Lakers can’t let them walk. Outside of James and Anthony Davis, Reeves and Huishomaru were the two best players on the team, and they both had big moments in the playoffs.
Reaves has become one of the Lakers’ most versatile threats, effective at catches, rolls, and one-on-one situations while dishing out threes at the right time as an instant shooter. He’s shown he’s not afraid to take the big shots and is exactly the kind of perimeter player James needs during his long qualifying runs. He averaged 16.9 points per game during the playoff run and is only scratching his potential as a player.
Huichimuari, who stands at 6’8, has become a competitive nightmare, beating smaller keepers on the switch at the post. While he shoots 48.7 percent from three, his reinforcement off the bench was crucial; His size and scoring ability are exactly what you need in today’s NBA from the winger position.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka should keep these free customers tied up by any means and not let them walk like Caruso. This is by far the most important thing for the Lakers in this offseason.
Thing #2: stay calm.
Shortly before not quitting, in the summer of 2021 Caruso made a huge trade, sending Kyle Kuzma, Kentavius Caldwell Pope, and the Washington Wizards picking up Russell Westbrook.
The move ultimately didn’t work out, as last year Westbrook was traded for D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley in a three-team deal that included the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Fitting in alongside James and Davis didn’t go well at first, but more importantly, it seemed like a move made out of desperation. It is now more clear than ever how important players of the third and second kind are to the success of the tournament. Bob has been a huge factor starring in Denver, and Kuzma is expected to receive a major show this summer.
It’s crucial that the Lakers not try to make a huge deal for one star, which would give away depth and their few remaining assets.
Thing #1: Make good use of cover exceptions.
The Lakers don’t have much room to sign a big name this offseason. However, they can do a few things to upgrade their roster without ruining their finances. To date, Mo Bamba and Shaquille Harrison have been waived. The Lakers also didn’t pick up Malik Paisley’s $16.5 million contract option.
This ensures the Lakers stay below the luxury tax cap and can use the $12.4 million available mid-level exception to sign a free agent. They also have an exception available semi-annual of $5.4 million.
Jacob Poitel is a center that could be a great fit. Poetle has been on the Spurs and Raptors for the past few seasons, two teams that haven’t had much success. He’s coming out of a 3-year, $26.5 million deal. The mid-level exception would be a pay cut, but it would give him a chance to compete for a title that could be valuable to him.
The combination of Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon reminded everyone across the league of the importance of size in the postseason. This acquisition would allow the Lakers to throw another body at Jokic and allow Ad to run around in the paint, a strategy that worked at times with a smaller Huichumuara on Jokic.
The Lakers own the rights to D’Angelo Russell and could give him a two-year extension worth $67.5 million. After averaging 14.7 points per game against the Warriors, Russell was virtually unplayable against the Nuggets. He had a plus-minus of -41 over the first three games, which got him benched in the fourth game with Dennis Schroeder.
It’s an unfortunate situation because you don’t want to lose an asset like Russell for nothing, but after a postseason performance, it’s hard to allocate a lot of money to a player who may not be in the final lineup.
The Lakers better let him walk and use the semi-annual to bring Schroeder back. Or they could hope and pray to find a suitor for reference and trade. The Lakers have good chops, and if they can make some of these moves, they’ll be right back where they were next year, giving James a chance at his fifth championship.
- Posted on 06/30/2023 at 19:00 PM
- Last updated on 06/30/2023 at 19:25 PM