The Los Angeles Lakers have generated no shortage of headlines this summer, starting with their ownership going through more drama. Let’s just say instability at the highest level of the organization isn’t helpful, especially with a crucial season of the Luka Doncic era coming up.
“One other element that cannot be ignored is the fire surrounding the Lakers organization,” Lakers insider Khobi Price wrote. “Mark Walter recently sold the team for a whopping $12.5 billion to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. That came amid a federal investigation into Walter’s financials. Not long afterwards, the Buss family attempted to sell their stake in the Lakers. … Amidst all of that turmoil, even Klay Thompson, whose father is a Laker legend and attempted to persuade his son to come to Los Angeles, opted for Miami.So, one is left to wonder whether the current state of the Lakers has anything to do with NBA stars looking elsewhere.”
L.A. is trying to assemble the best supporting cast around Doncic, but ownership instability can’t exactly be helpful in that regard. Meanwhile, the Lakers still have major roster needs to address and not much time on hand. Will they bring in a starting power forward for Doncic?
A Major Word on the Lakers’ Top Two Rumored Targets
The Lakers have been linked to countless forwards this offseason, from P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. to Saddiq Bey and De’Andre Hunter. Will anyone become available? Will the Lakers push to acquire any of the players they are being linked to? According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, it appears the team will ultimately decide to move away from Washington and Jones.
“The top teams in the league, are you confident in that player starting against those teams and holding their own at that position doing what you need. … I don’t have the same level of confidence in guys like De’Andre Hunter, Kyle Kuzma, Grant Williams doing that at a starting level, doing that at 24 minutes at night, 26 minutes a night, 28 minutes a night compared to guys like P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., etc.
“Again, I think that my preferred plan would be go get the P.J., go get the DJJ; it doesn’t seem like that’s the way things are trending right now, especially with the Lakers on a certain T at the ownership level and that looming over potential moves right now … it seems like right now they’re going to move forward with this group and, again, maybe there’s waiving someone or doing some sort of two-for-one (trade) or dumping a guy somewhere.”
Buha continued to say it appears that the Lakers roster is mostly set and that he doesn’t expect a move of note to happen.
L.A.’s Best Bet May Be to Look Internally
It sure makes sense for the Lakers to put together a package and acquire a player who can slot into the starting lineup from Day 1. After all, why would you not at least go to that level when the goal is to immediately contend for a championship?
For one, the Lakers don’t have attractive trade capital and, with them being already close to the apron line, they’ll have to unload a player on a larger contract like Jarred Vanderbilt, who is said to have minimal to no trade value because of his injury history and the deal he is on.
But the Lakers went out and signed Ziaire Williams and Sandro Mamukelashvili, in part, as a failsafe in case Jonathan Kuminga landed elsewhere. At this point, L.A. has plenty of incentives to stand pat at least until the midseason trade deadline and see what their existing forwards can deliver to the team.
Lakers Expected to Make Key Decision on Top 2 Rumored Trade Targets