It remains to be seen just how impactful the Los Angeles Lakers’ newcomers will be next season. But one thing is for certain: L.A. has gone all-in to show Luka Doncic it is ready to compete now.
As ESPN’s Zach Kram writes, the Lakers suddenly have many moves pieces, but how close they are to winning a championship, or even making an NBA Finals appearance, is debatable.
“The Lakers might have been the busiest team of the summer,” Kram wrote. “But did all that activity make them better, or were they merely running in place? In came (Walker) Kessler, (Sandro) Mamukelashvili, (Quentin) Grimes, (Collin) Sexton, (Kevon) Looney, Jaden Hardy, (Matisse) Thybulle and (Ziaire) Williams. Out went (LeBron) James, (Rui) Hachimura, (Marcus) Smart, (Luke) Kennard, (Deandre) Ayton and (Jaxson) Hayes. … The Lakers mostly did well with depth signings such as Thybulle and Williams. But it’s hard to overcome not replacing James’ production, even in his 40s. They have less flexibility now, and it’s hard to say with confidence that they’re any closer to title contention.”
The Four Players Lakers Could Move to Add Reinforcements
The Lakers are not done. Well, they can’t be. They are above the roster limit and have multiple areas they still need to address.
“But the Lakers now have one of the NBA’s weakest forward groups, a glaring hole at backup center and almost no remaining draft assets to trade after giving up a haul for Kessler, who has never really played a meaningful NBA game,” Kram wrote.
To help round out the roster, the Lakers could make some trades, with Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht and Hardy at forefront, as Heavy NBA insider Sean Deveney reports.
Deveney notes that the Lakers have explored their options to move Vanderbilt, the 27-year-old swingman, but haven’t found a trade partner. Quite the same can be said about Knecht. Meanwhile, Hardy is someone Deveney reports the Lakers are merely trying to dump, while LaRavia’s expiring $6 million deal could make him the most easy-to-trade of the four.
LaRavia Considered Candidate to Start … But Could Be Dealt
LaRavia is young and carries a very modest contract. Surely, if the Lakers pushed to move him, they could find a deal out there.
“Hustles, plays every game, but inconsistent,” Deveney wrote of LaRavia. “His contract makes him an attractive piece, though, as the Lakers are still figuring out the back end of their roster.”
Meanwhile, Khobi Price of the California Post recently tabbed the 24-year-old forward as a strong candidate to earn the Lakers’ final starting nod.
“LaRavia may not bring the offensive versatility that Mamukelashvili does, and may not be as good of a perimeter defender as Thybulle, but he’s a better defender than Mamukelashvili and has more experience guarding bigger forwards than Thybulle,” Price wrote. “ He has the size and defensive versatility the Lakers need from their fifth starter while also adding the connective offensive skills the Lakers need from his position. The familiarity of playing alongside Doncic and Reaves is a bonus.”
What approach the Lakers will take in the final stages of the offseason remains to be seen. But it appears their options have boiled down to just two: cut a player and call it a summer, or venture out on the trade market and make more changes.
Report: Lakers’ 4 Trade Candidates Revealed as Team Looks to Upgrade