Los Angeles Lakers: 2018-19 NBA season preview

SAN JOSE, CA - OCTOBER 12: Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (23) smiles as he jokes with Golden State Warriors players during a break in the action in their NBA preseason game at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Anda Chu/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)"n /

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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

2018-19 Roster

The Lakers saw quite an overhaul on their roster this offseason. According to ESPN, the Lakers are projected to have the second fewest minutes played by returning players in the league. Only the Phoenix Suns are projected to have fewer minutes played by returning players.

The headline-grabbing addition was LeBron James, but he was not the only veteran acquired. JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley were all brought in as well. Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk were all selected in the 2018 NBA Draft.

That group will be joining the holdovers of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Alex Caruso and Travis Wear. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the only free agent that was retained by the team.

With so many additions, there were some players that departed. Brook Lopez, Tyler Ennis, Channing Frye, Julius Randle and Isaiah Thomas all departed. Luol Deng also agreed to a buyout.

The floor spacing that Lopez and Frye provided will be missed. However, they did not fit into the plans that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka laid out. They wanted to add playmakers and defensive-minded players with plenty of playoff experience, and they accomplished that.

The veterans brought in should fill specific roles when needed around the youngsters the team will be relying on.

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