A lot is currently up in the air for the Los Angeles Lakers regarding the 2022-23 roster. The team very obviously wants to get rid of Russell Westbrook and the best-case scenario is a trade that brings Kyrie Irving to Los Angeles.
There are other potential options for the Lakers if an Irving trade does not happen but like the Irving trade itself, those are up in the air. Right now there is only one thing for certain with the roster: the team has one more spot to fill.
The Lakers roster is currently at 14 players. Whether the team signs someone, elevates a two-way contract, or gets an extra player via trade, there still is one more roster spot to utilize. But that begs the question: which position should the Lakers be targeting?
The 3 most likely positions the Lakers will use to fill the last roster spot:
3. Point guard
Of all five positions on the basketball team, point guard checks in as the third most likely for the Lakers to utilize. This completely has to do with the Lakers’ current situation with Russell Westbrook and what will happen if the team trades him for someone who is not a point guard.
If the Lakers make a Kyrie deal then the chances of adding a point guard go down as the team would have both Irving and Nunn. However, if the team trades for someone else, or even keeps Westbrook, the odds go up.
If the Lakers make a trade for say, Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, then they are going to need to add a point guard to play alongside Kendrick Nunn. Additionally, there is a world in which the Lakers don’t trade Westbrook but still tell him to go home and not play, which would obviously create the need for a point guard.