Los Angeles Lakers: Primary focus should be adding depth
While adding another All-Star would look good on paper, the Los Angeles Lakers need to place their energy on building depth this offseason.
Even though Anthony Davis is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Lakers have a lot of work to do this offseason. Granted Davis and LeBron James will unite to form one of the best duos in the league, the team does not have many other players under contract at the moment.
As great as those two players are, it is not enough to compete for a world championship. Certainly, it is probably enough to get into the playoffs assuming health problems do not arise.
However, the Lakers need more than those guys if they want a legitimate chance at claiming their 17th banner. Frankly, though, signing a free agent like Kawhi Leonard or Kyrie Irving may not be the best route for the Lakers to take.
There is no denying the talent level of players like Leonard and Irving. Those two are bona fide All-Stars and would give the Lakers a three-headed monster.
At the same time, I firmly believe going in that direction would bestow the Lakers with a monstrous headache. Under that hypothetical, the team’s personnel would not be too sexy outside of Kyle Kuzma.
Of course, the Lakers’ starting five would be one of the best in the NBA. Getting a third star alongside James and AD, though, would require shedding some more salary.
Per a recent tweet from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the purple and gold would need to move more of their youngsters to create a max slot.
Lakers are trying to expand Anthony Davis trade and create ability to open max salary slot on July 6, sources tell @BobbyMarks42 and me. Lakers offering contracts of Mo Wagner/Jemerrio Jones/Isaac Bonga to additional teams, so LA can satisfy CBA rules on creating $32M in space.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 19, 2019
Interestingly enough, the trio of players Wojnarowski alludes to are the only other pieces the Lakers have under contract. That being said, I do not think Los Angeles should let them go even if it meant the team would be able to add one more star.
Like I said, having a big three would have it perks. It would give L.A. that glitzy feel once again, which is something the squad has desperately lacked for multiple years in a row.
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That’s just the thing, though. Snagging another star would elevate the perception of the team. That is fair to say, and it would likely cause a lot of folks to place wagers on them to win it all.
On the other hand, the reality that needs to be addressed is this. Acquiring a third big fish would literally drain the team’s resources. That would not be too prudent on the Lakers’ part.
As of now, it is safe to suspect the team possesses around $23 million in cap space. Theoretically, they could have about $4 million more if Davis nixes his trade kicker, although that scenario is highly unlikely.
Even if AD waived the trade kicker, the Lakers would still be in an odd spot. They would almost have to hope a star would be willing to accept a lesser amount. Players of Leonard’s caliber would probably laugh at anything less than a maximum level deal.
Say, for some reason a star was willing to accept a little less than the maximum. It still puts the Lakers in a precarious position in terms of how to fill out the rest of the roster. The team would be mighty top heavy with little financial flexibility.
Anthony Irwin of SB Nation raised another point in a recent piece he compiled. Depending on when the AD trade becomes official, that could also affect how much cap space the Lakers have to work with.
If the trade execution date gets pushed back, it would ultimately give L.A. over $30 million to utilize. Now that would be enough to lure in a third star.
Nonetheless, the Lakers need to consider the various needs they have. As things currently stand, the Davis trade left their team fairly depleted.
For example, I recently discussed how Brook Lopez would help the team. Given that he can space the floor for James, a center like him would be a fine addition. Signing him, too, would allow AD the luxury of playing at the four, which is his preferred position.
Moreover, our own George Middleton also argued the team should go after Trevor Ariza in free agency. Doing so would give the Lakers a true “3-and-D” type guy, not to mention his championship experience with them in the past.
Certainly, there are a plethora of other options the Lakers should be mulling over at this juncture. However, the benefit behind getting guys like Lopez and Ariza would be that the team’s resources would not be diminished as quickly.
With LeBron getting no younger, either, and because of the health issues he and AD have experienced before, it sheds light on why creating a balanced roster is the better option for the Lakers.
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The grind of an NBA season is all too real. Therefore, it would be smarter for Los Angeles to actively pursue adding several lesser players this summer as opposed to one more top-tier asset.
Certainly, pursuing a third All-Star would make the Lakers “look” better. Be that as it may, spreading the sugar is honestly the more intelligent approach to execute. Heck, just ask the Toronto Raptors.