As the Los Angeles Lakers peer into the future, it's likely a Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves star duo that the franchise will be building around for years to come. Yes, there is significant buzz pointing to another year of LeBron James, but LA's real objective in every subsequent transaction cycle from here on out will be to surround Luka and AR with a long and athletic roster capable of contending.
As currently constructed, the Lakers don't have enough talent around their star trio to challenge the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. The main weaknesses on LA's depth chart are at the center position (sorry, Deandre Ayton) and wing position (opposite LeBron). While Rui Hachimura was stellar for the Lakers during the postseason, there are still players out there on the market who would represent a two-way upgrade to Hachimura.
Chief among them is Denver Nuggets wing Peyton Watson, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Unfortunately, Watson might be just out of reach for the Lakers, given their complicated cap situation.
Peyton Watson was once seen as a realistic Lakers target (what happened?)
There's still a chance for the Lakers to sign Watson, but it'll be extremely difficult (and pricey) to pry Watson away from a Nuggets team that has every reason to retain the young wing moving forward. It could take an offer north of $30 million per season for the Lakers to force Denver's hand on Watson and potentially cause the Nuggets to walk away.
But with LeBron possibly returning on a sizable, one-year deal, and with the Lakers having multiple depth spots to fill using cap space, a gargantuan deal for Watson would likely put LA in a tough spot. They'd probably be wiser to try and trade for one of Watson's fellow wings on the Nuggets, Christian Braun or Cameron Johnson.
LeBron's potential return changed Lakers' calculus on Peyton Watson
When it seemed during the middle of this past season like a LeBron return was doubtful, a Watson signing seemed almost like a sure bet for LA. But, in a way, LeBron's situation has pushed back the Lakers' true retool around Doncic an entire year, and that can be seen with the shifting outlook on Watson.
Bringing Hachimura back instead of pursuing Watson wouldn't be the end of the world. There are certainly nights where Hachimura can be a better player than Watson, even if Peyton's upside and ceiling are higher. Hachimura, 28, is also younger than most people realize. Watson would have been an ideal signing this summer, but the Lakers aren't working with an ideal cap scenario at the moment.
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