Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Most important questions in 2018

With 2018 here for the Los Angeles Lakers, this will be a very important year for the franchise. Here are the three-most important questions facing the team.

Both Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have said that this season is merely a stepping stone to the Los Angeles Lakers’ future, and that its success wouldn’t be measured by wins and losses. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes and consider the biggest decisions they must make to bring the team back to its winning ways.

The emergence of the talented youthful nucleus of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma provides a beacon of hope for the future. Does the front office believe that the homegrown Big 3 will become good enough to lead the team to a title?

Their development naturally impacts future roster decisions. For much of the season, fans and media have endlessly speculated that the Lakers will trade players to clear more cap space because the team “needs” to sign at least one max free agent, preferably two.

For those with short memories, pursuing big names was exactly the approach taken by former GM Mitch Kupchak. Unfortunately, he had no success luring top FAs to join a losing team. Perhaps the current front office will fare better with Magic taking a lead role. But now, the team has another viable option: to focus instead on surrounding their three developing stars with the right complementary pieces.

That’s not to say the team won’t or shouldn’t pursue any marquee free agent. Magic has said he’d love to add a player that can transform the team. But the reality is that the free agent recruitment provides only one possible solution to help move the team forward.

Johnson and Pelinka must make these three major decisions that will chart the future: