The Los Angeles Lakers will let several players go as they remake their roster around Luka Doncic, including LeBron James and Rui Hachimura. James is undecided if he will continue playing, but the Lakers can’t afford to pay him $50-plus million next season. With the numbers backing up the pairing doesn’t work, LA will likely move on from the GOAT, and that won’t be the only painful divorce.
Hachimura is shooting 44.0 percent from 3-point range, and the Lakers are plus-3.0 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. Fans have seen the 6’8 forward knock down some massive shots this season, but his defensive issues have forced him to the bench. Los Angeles sits 24th in defensive rating and can’t afford to pay someone who can’t help them make a turnaround.
The Lakers were quiet at the trade deadline to preserve their offseason flexibility. Luka Doncic was rumored to be on board with that plan, but it puts pressure on the franchise to make the right changes. Adding pieces means subtracting from the current group, and some divorces will be more painful than others.
Rui Hachimura will join LeBron James in painfully divorcing the Lakers this summer
The Lakers will have cap space this summer if the franchise lets players walk. They have even more room because Austin Reaves has a small cap hold if he declines his player option. That will allow LA to spend and exceed the cap to re-sign AR. To do that, LeBron, Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Luke Kennard will all be cap casualties.
The Lakers will likely try to find a trade partner to take Deandre Ayton if he opts into his $8.1 million player option. Marcus Smart has a $5.3 million player option that will also determine Los Angeles’ flexibility. The Lakers may bring Smart back either way, but that all depends on who they can add.
Fans will be upset to see LeBron and Rui go. Kennard hasn’t yet made a massive splash in Hollywood, but his shooting will forever tantalize contending teams. Those divorces will involve some pain, but Lakers fans must suffer to be a serious title contender again.
The plan of attack should be simple. The Lakers must put rim protection, shooting, and perimeter defense around Luka Doncic. Re-signing Austin Reaves should be the team’s top priority. He has formed a close bond with number 77 and has blossomed into a superstar. AR is the ideal fit as a secondary scorer and creator if the purple and gold get the right pieces to make the talents of their star duo pop.
The Los Angeles Lakers will undergo a necessary transformation this offseason that will force them to let LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and others go. Fans will be upset, but that is the price of having a superstar like Luka. The Lakers have to contend for the title, and the only way is to improve their supporting cast. All the pain will be worth it if the moves work, so the pressure is on the front office to make that a reality.