The Los Angeles Lakers have done a great job at building a talented rotation for the 2023-24 season. After falling short in the Western Conference Finals, the Lake Show has brought the same core back with savvy upgrades that could help the team get over the hump.
Just about everything that could have gone right has gone right for the purple and gold and it is safe to say that fans are confident in the team next season. The roster is loaded and deep and that is before adding two more players to get to 15.
Those signings will likely be veteran minimum signings (unless the team has plans on elevating someone like Cole Swider or Scotty Pippen Jr.). While that market typically isn’t deep, the Lake Show may have new targets here soon thanks to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder are also facing a big roster crunch with 19 players on standard contracts.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) July 2, 2023
Recently acquired veterans Patty Mills, Victor Oladipo, and Davis Bertans ($5M guaranteed for 2024-25) seem like the most likely candidates to get rerouted or waived.https://t.co/4QBNLzMFhH https://t.co/aFJoDXu3lh
Thunder could give Lakers two great free-agent targets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have also been busy this offseason and have taken on contracts that other teams did not want in order to pick up assets. That is how the Thunder ended up with 19 players on standard contracts needing to release four players.
The three veterans mentioned in the tweet above are the most likely to be let go with Victor Oladipo and Davis Bertans being the most intriguing for the Lake Show. Both players would be minimum options and are ring-chasing (while also trying to increase their value).
There have been several times in the past when Oladipo looked to be on his way to the Lakers but it was never meant to be. While injuries have slowed his career down and he is past his prime, he could still offer a positive presence for a team that desperately needs depth at the two-guard.
Bertans may not be a two-guard but his size and ability to play in the frontcourt could have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster. This could open up someone like Maxwell Lewis or Taurean Prince to play more three, allowing someone like Cam Reddish to play more two.
Bertans has been up and down in his NBA career and he was vastly overpaid, which strangely made him so overrated he became underrated. He may not be a star but he still has value as a bench frontcourt player that can come in and space the floor. He is a career 39.8% three-point shooter, after all.
Both players would be toward the back of the Lakers’ rotation but with two stars who will likely play a combined 110 games at most it is good to have this depth. Plus, if Bertans and Oladipo can stay healthy and play well then they could force their way into the team’s playoff rotation come May.