Los Angeles Lakers: Creating a championship contender this summer

The Los Angeles Lakers have money to spend this offseason. They have multiple routes to becoming championship contenders again this summer.

With an intriguing group of guys who’ll be free agents this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers will be one of the premier landing spots for NBA stars, or so we thought.

After signing LeBron James last summer, the Lakers looked to be one of the most desirable landing spots for a 2019 free agent. However, things have changed.

Magic Johnson is no longer the president of basketball operations. The so-called “young core”, comes with a significant amount of injury concerns, especially Brandon Ingram (blood clots). LeBron James underperformed and pretty much proved that father time is real, no matter who it’s in regards to.

The beloved Lakers didn’t make the playoffs, and it’s obvious that the Lakers don’t have a clear direction of where they’re heading. With all of this taken into account, it makes the Lakers a much less desirable landing spot for NBA stars this summer, and the injury-plagued “young core” will make it even more difficult to complete a trade than it was during their midseason attempts to land Anthony Davis.

Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard will have a choice as to where they play next season, while Anthony Davis may not have a say, but will be on the market as well. The three superstars all look like top five players in the league, and would immediately change any franchise for the better.

Kawhi Leonard looks nice in a Toronto Raptors jersey, but reports indicate that he’s hellbent on moving to Los Angeles next season. However, it doesn’t seem like Leonard has much interest in wearing purple and gold. Rather, Kawhi has a supreme interest in playing for the Clippers next season over their cross-town rivals.

As mentioned a couple of months back, Kevin Durant to the Lakers would make little to no sense. However, I’m not Kevin Durant, so I don’t truly know. But listen to the constant reports that Durant wants to play in New York next season, and you’ll have a greater understanding of what his true intentions are.

Anthony Davis is on the market and will likely be traded this summer but to the Lakers? Not so sure. It was no secret that the Lakers offered an arm and a leg for Davis at the trade deadline this season, and with recent findings that Brandon Ingram is struggling with blood clots, their offer only looks worse moving forward.

I personally don’t think it’s likely that Leonard, Durant, and/or Davis will be wearing the purple and gold next season, and I’m definitely not alone in that. However, I don’t think the Lakers would be in too much trouble if they didn’t land any of the three aforementioned superstars.

There are many other big-time stars on the market this summer, such as Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler. And I’m confident that if indeed the Lakers couldn’t land a Durant, Leonard, or Davis, that at least one, if not a combination, of the other NBA stars available this summer should and probably would have a desire to wear the purple and gold.

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The case for Klay Thompson; I don’t think he should, but if Klay Thompson decided to leave the Warriors this summer for a new team, I believe the obvious landing spot would be the Lakers. His father works within the organization, and it’s no secret that he’d work great with LeBron. Again, he would have to leave the Warriors, but if he did, I think the only viable option and likely choice, would be the Lakers.

The case for Jimmy Butler: When the Sixers don’t get past the second round, I think Jimmy Butler might consider finding a new home. Butler has proven to be toxic, but it’s obvious that he simply wants to win. A move LA and wear the purple and gold would give him a nice chance at doing that, which makes the Lakers a desirable landing spot for Butler.

The case for Kemba Walker: Walker just had his best season yet, and looks like a perennial All-Star in the NBA. Unfortunately, for Kemba, winning will never be possible in Charlotte, and he knows it. Kemba’s summer plans rely heavily on what his priorities are.

He’ll never be the best player on a championship team, but he could be a valuable one. If Walker decided that winning was his number one priority, which we often see as the case in the NBA today, then he would sign with the Lakers. A LeBron and Walker pairing would look similar to the Kyrie Irving-LeBron James duo, which was a great winning success.

The case for Kyrie Irving: A LeBron-Kyrie reunion would be one heck of a story. But for some reason, many NBA experts think it’s a true possibility. Kyrie is rumored to want to play in one of the big markets of Los Angeles and New York. If he wants to win and play in a great market, it makes sense to join the Lakers, Clippers, or Knicks.

In all three places, he’d have a chance at joining forces with one other superstar. With the Lakers, however, he’d join LeBron and possibly another star, which makes them the best winning option for Irving, if he left Boston.

Leonard, Durant, and Davis are the guys that all teams will be chasing after this summer, but guys like Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, and Klay Thompson, could easily turn many teams into championship contenders.

The Lakers will undoubtedly go after Durant, Leonard, and Davis, but if they couldn’t get any of the three studs to wear the purple and gold next season, they would have some other nice options. This summer, the Lakers need to be looking into all options, as the most glamorous ones might not be attainable.

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If Lakers could sign any combination of two from Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson, they would be immediate championship contenders, just like they would be if they gained a Durant, Leonard, or Davis.

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