There are a lot of things that the Los Angeles Lakers need to accomplish this offseason with limited resources. Seeing the Golden State Warriors go from a non-playoff team to an NBA Champion in back-to-back years should inspire the Lakers, who are definitely still trying to contend next season.
The problem is that last season was such a disaster and things really are not going to be much different roster-wise. Yes, Darvin Ham is replacing Frank Vogel and there will be new players in LA but the core of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook is still on the team.
Westbrook is obviously the biggest hindrance that the team has. His massive salary makes it impossible to bring in roster depth and last season he showed no willingness to change his game for the betterment of the team.
The Lakers are going to have to be really savvy with who they bring in this offseason to fill the various holes that need to be filled.
The Los Angeles Lakers can be savvy by bringing in two potentially elite defensive guards for the minimum.
Defense is what made the Lakers successful when they won the championship as it is still extremely important in today’s game. The two teams in the NBA Finals ranked first and second in defensive rating this past season, with the winning team ranking first.
There are two defensive gems that the Lakers could sign for the minimum this offseason that Rob Pelinka should be going all-in to sign. Granted, because they are minimum targets there is some risk and some drawbacks to their game that the Lakers would have to accept. However, the defense is so promising that all of it would be worth it.
Let’s dive into the two players that should (hopefully) be wearing the purple and gold in four months’ time.