The Los Angeles Lakers have a big offseason ahead of them and Luke Walton likes what the team has to offer potential free agents.
The 2018 offseason is going to be one of the most important in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. With the potential of adding two max contract players, the Lakers could be adding two All-Stars to a roster that has really improved over the past few seasons.
This season, the Lakers did miss the playoffs once again, however, they were able to take a big step forward in their growing process. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Lakers were able to strike gold with their three first-round picks. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart all proved in their rookie season that they will be productive players in the NBA for a long time, and that is a good thing for the Lakers.
Even though the Lakers battled with injuries to Ball and Brandon Ingram this season, they were still able to increase their win total from the season before. With the offseason quickly approaching, Luke Walton recently talked about what the Lakers have to offer potential free agents. Here is what he had to say via Trevor Lane of LakersNation.com.
"“But I can just speak for what I know right now, and that’s we’re going to play fast again next year. We finished, I think third in pace this year, which we were No. 1 for most of the season. We’ve got a young core of guys that loves to play, they love to get out and run, and they love to compete. They love to work. I guess that’s a pretty good pitch right there, but it’s just the truth about the young core that we have.“It’s a great group that I’m really excited about. As far as the free agent part of it, we’ll get to that later in the summer. I’m really, really excited about the future and what this group has already started to make their identity and where we’re going to continue to go.”"
Even though the Lakers did miss the playoffs, the future is obviously bright in Los Angeles. The young core that the Lakers have should be very appealing for free agents, as they play a fun style of fast basketball. In addition to having the strong young core, the Lakers also have the benefit of playing in Los Angeles, which is always a positive for trying to recruit free agents.
Next: Re-drafting the 2017 NBA Draft
With a young team that is only going to be getting better, the Lakers should be in a good position to recruit free agents this offseason. Unlike some other years, the Lakers have a lot to offer and we will have to see if it is enough to get some stars to come to Los Angeles.