Well, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season is officially over and it ended far sooner than anyone could have expected. The Lakers simply ran out of time with the injuries that they suffered and it was time to face the music. When the dust settled, it was the Phoenix Suns who emerged victoriously.
The Suns deserve tremendous credit for how they turned around from last season to not only defeat the defending champions but to absolutely dismantle them in the final two games. However, I think it is safe to say that we all know in our heart of hearts that a healthy Anthony Davis would have changed everything.
Davis was his typical self in the games that the Lakers won. He was either hurt, or in the case of Game 1, played terribly in the games that the Lakers lost.
Regardless, the Lakers were on the receiving end of some injury luck last season and were dealt a bad hand this go-around. Luckily, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are under contract, seem to be happy in LA and there is always the potential of adding some big name into the mix.
When new talent comes in, though, old talent must leave.
There are several players on the Los Angeles Lakers that may have played their last game in LA.
The following five players are all players who I believe will be suiting up for another team next season. If there is an impending free agent that is not included in this article then that means that I predict that player to re-sign with the Lakers.
Let’s get into the potentially departing Lakers.
1. Montrezl Harrell
Montrezl Harrell seemingly already has one foot out the door. While he got playing time in the Game 6 loss, Harrell was not being used at the start of the series and he seemed to take exception to it. Harrell has a player option on his contract and it would be shocking to not see him opt-out.
While Harrell may not have done much to really raise his value from where it was last offseason, he can get a deal with a team that might utilize him more, leading to a bigger payday. It is going to be the classic case of Harrell signing another short-term deal with a bad team that he can play 30 minutes on and fill up the box score.
Harrell was exciting during the regular season and he definitely developed a fanbase of Laker fans who admired how much he hustled and how hard he played every night. The problem with Harrell is that he does not fit the modern game very well.
Harrell cannot stretch the floor and he does not make up for it with good defense. Even with him being a bruiser down low, Harrell’s size does limit him around the rim.
I would not mind whatsoever if Harrell decided to come back to the Los Angeles Lakers and not exercise his player option. Would I give Harrell a pay increase or give him four guaranteed years on the books? Definitely not.
2. Dennis Schroder
This feels like a foregone conclusion at this point. While Dennis Schroder had flashes during the season, particularly when LeBron James and Anthony Davis were hurt, he just does not fit this team.
Schroder is the classic case of a decent box score guy who just doesn’t contribute much to actually help his team win. There is a reason why the Hawks were willing to take on Carmelo Anthony just to cut him to get Schroder off the books.
Schroder needs a high usage rate to be successful and is the worst kind of ball stopper you can have, particularly at the point guard position. The problem is that if Schroder has a high usage rate then the basketball team probably is not very good.
The Lakers should be thanking the basketball heavens that Schroder turned down the four-year, $84 million contract that the team reportedly offered him. Hopefully, the team has soured on him since because that would be a massive overpay, and quite frankly, locking Schroder down for that many years is a mistake.
There will be some mediocre team that is looking to turn things around that will overpay for Schroder. It should not be the Los Angeles Lakers.
3. Andre Drummond
There is potential for the Los Angeles Lakers to bring Andre Drummond back and there has already been speculation that it could be in the cards for the Lakers. That would be a mistake for the Lakers, and quite frankly, I think they are smarter than to overpay for Drummond.
If Drummond is willing to take an extremely low salary, even something along the lines of a minimum deal, then I am all for bringing him back. The problem is that he is likely not going to accept that. The entire reason why he wanted to come to LA was not just to contend, but to play for a team that he actually would have a role on to increase his value in free agency.
And while he might not be worth it, there will be a team willing to overpay for Andre Drummond. The Boston Celtics signed Tristan Thompson to a two-year deal just shy of $19 million. If Thompson got that much it is safe to expect Drummond’s salary to be in the $8-10 million range.
With the other contracts that need to be given out as well as the other holes to fill it just does not make sense to pay Drummond this much. This obviously leaves a massive hole at the center position without Montrezl Harrell as well, so Rob Pelinka would have some work to do.
I would love to be wrong about Drummond’s market and hope that he would sign for cheaper. If he signs with the Lakers on a deal close to Thompson’s then Laker fans should not be happy.
4. Wesley Matthews
Wesley Matthews signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the 2021 season and it seemed to be an absolute steal for the purple and gold. The Lakers flipped one year of Danny Green for one year of Dennis Schroder and then signed Matthews to essentially replace Green.
Green at his best was always viewed as the better player but with how he played with the Lakers, and how Matthews played the year prior, it felt like a lateral move. The Lakers were not improving from Green, but replacing him while significantly improving at point guard.
You could make the case for Matthews to sign another veteran minimum deal and out of every player on this list, I would give him the best chance to return. However, the Lakers’ usage of him late in the season and how poorly he played offensively leads me to believe that the Lakers will look elsewhere.
If JJ Redick is willing to take a veteran’s minimum he could be a good sharpshooting option to add. Wayne Ellington might cost slightly more than the veteran’s minimum but he would still provide a good shooting presence, albeit without the same defensive presence.
There is also the draft and the potential for a trade to occur.
5. Kyle Kuzma
This is a bold prediction and to be honest, I do not blame any Laker fan who rolls their eyes at this prediction. Kyle Kuzma’s entire career has been marred with trade rumors and here I am bringing it up yet again.
Kuzma signed an extension with the Lakers last offseason and that seemingly locks down his future with the team, right? Actually, if anything, it increases the chances that Kuzma is going to be dealt and there is a long-term play of signing that extension.
The worst thing a front office can do is let an asset walk for free and the Lakers made sure that did not happen. They signed Kuzma to a manageable three-year, $40 million contract. That is quite low, and quite frankly, it was surprising that Kuzma’s agents agreed to this and did not see the writing on the wall.
The problem with trading Kuzma in the past is that his salary was so low and the Lakers would have had to pair him with a larger salary. Now Kuzma has that perfect in-between salary that can be traded for a role player to some bad team that is looking to bring in youth.
Right now there are no reports of anything on the table but there will be a role player on an expiring deal that is more valuable than Kuzma with a similar contract that would help the Los Angeles Lakers much more next season than Kuzma will.
Thaddeus Young has a very similar contract and was better than Kuzma last season, Marcus Smart could be on his way out of Boston and even T.J. Warren could be an option if Indiana wants to pivot for youth.
Again, that is all speculation at this point and the longer the offseason goes the better idea we will have of any potential market but it makes more sense to trade Kuzma now than it did in the past.