Getty Jimmy Butler & Jae Crowder of the Miami Heat.
Even if the Los Angeles Lakers can turn things around and win the championship this year, they definitely need to make some changes this offseason. They simply have too many holes behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Free agency won’t offer them up any superstars on a silver platter but there are plenty of solid veterans who will be available.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN recently revealed a few guys the Lakers should take a look at:
After landing Anthony Davis in 2019, some expected that the Lakers would be able to add another impact player this offseason. But given the paucity of quality free agents and the salary cap almost certainly falling lower than anticipated, the Lakers likely will enter free agency with only their midlevel exception (worth around $9.3 million in the first year) available to add a real piece.
Given the Lakers’ lack of depth on the wings, that seems like the right area to upgrade. But the best options out there — names such as Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton, Pacers guard Justin Holiday or Heat forward Jae Crowder — are helpful players who won’t necessarily move the needle.
Lakers Need More Shooting
Out of three names Bontemps mentioned as potential fits, Crowder is the best three-point shooter. If you’ve watched the Lakers lately, it’s clear they need more players who can sink shots. Crowder and Holiday are both guys who can do that while Connaughton isn’t as strong from deep.
While it’s important for the Lakers to address their shooting problems this offseason, they also need to find somebody who can run the offense when LeBron isn’t on the floor. Rajon Rondo is injury prone and not getting any younger so they can’t rely on him. Taking another crack at Darren Collison this offseason would probably be wise. It’s hard to imagine he won’t at least be more open-minded about coming back this offseason.
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Quest for 3rd Star Continues
Unfortunately, somebody like Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t going to fall on the Lakers’ lap. The team tried too hard to land a third star in Kawhi Leonard last offseason and it hurt their ability to build around Davis and LeBron. It’s clear that the Lakers would still like to add a third star. Giannis, Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo are all names who have been mentioned as options. While all three of those players would be great fits, they aren’t coming to the team this offseason and nobody knows what the future holds.
At a certain point, the Lakers are going to have to either go all-in for a third star or just focus on building around their two stars. LeBron and Davis form one of the best duos in NBA history and strong duos have won plenty of championships. For right now, the Lakers should really focus on accumulating strong role players to put behind their two stars. Once it looks like LeBron is starting to decline, that’s when their focus should change to finding another star player.
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