None of these moves are inherently bad. Let us just get that out of the way. However, amid an incredibly busy Los Angeles Lakers offseason, someone needs to get the short end of the stick.
For those wishing to see a more positive approach to evaluating the summer, the three best moves were already ranked. Before getting into things here from the other side of the equation, it should also be properly explained what qualifies among the offseason moves.
A departure like LeBron James leaving for the Philadelphia 76ers does not technically qualify as it was not a move the Lakers were actively involved in. Endlessly pursuing Jonathan Kuminga to no avail also misses the mark because nothing was finalized with the franchise. This is limited to trades, signings, and draft picks that were completed with Los Angeles in the mix.
With that out of the way...
3 — Lakers bet big on Sandro Mamukelashvili in free agency
Once more, this was not inherently a bad decision. Relative to the others, though, there is certainly a lot of risk involved here.
The Lakers, quite literally, handed Sandro Mamukelashvili more money than he has ever seen in his NBA career. $52 million over four years easily outdoes all his previous contracts combined. This comes after Mamu's first real year of being a truly meaningful contributor for the Toronto Raptors.
Mamukelashvili had his moments with the San Antonio Spurs before that, but certainly not at the minutes capacity that he was entrusted with in Toronto. To Mamu's credit, he seized the opportunity and balled out with the Raptors.
That $52 million contract is fully guaranteed, by the way. If things do not go well for the Lakers, there is no easy escape apart from trading him at what the franchise will hope to be at least neutral value.
The other problems that exist with this move come from the fit. Mamukelashvili is getting paid $13 million on average without being someone who can be truly envisioned as a starter alongside Luka Doncic and Walker Kessler. Mamu's best utilization comes off the bench.
There is nothing wrong with him being an impactful second-unit player, but for that price tag, it is worth asking why the Lakers did not use that money elsewhere on a potential starter. In Mamu's defense, he will not be the only player that can be said of.
2 — Lakers hurt themselves on multiple fronts by signing Collin Sexton
The good news about signing Collin Sexton to a two-year, $19.2 million deal? The veteran guard can fit well both on and off the ball beside Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Now, here comes the bad.
For one, there are immediate questions about his defensive fit in Los Angeles. Beyond that, the Lakers could have, in hindsight, used the money they paid him to secure a starting forward. Then, there is the actual contract itself.
Sexton is only on a two-year deal and has a player option for that second season. Even if the new Lakers guard is a slam-dunk addition, he can opt out of his contract next summer in search of a better payday. That is a tough position for Los Angeles since they do not hold his bird rights.
Yes, the Lakers should have the nontaxpayer midlevel exception at their disposal. That money can be used to re-sign Sexton next summer, if necessary. However, that takes away from the ideal version of how to use that spending power, which would be to add another long-term starter in Los Angeles.
The short version: Sexton has far more to gain from this two-year deal than the Lakers do.
1 — Signing Kevon Looney as the lone true backup center in Los Angeles
Uninspiring is the right word here. Kevon Looney has a lot to offer the Lakers in terms of being a locker room leader. It would just be so much nicer if there was a better center to turn to off the bench.
The Lakers have Mamukelashvili to run the five, but we are talking your more traditional center here. Some matchups will just call for more physicality and defense than what Mamu can offer. In those instances, Los Angeles will be forced to turn to Looney, as of now.
Last year's campaign with the New Orleans Pelicans was underwhelming from an on-court perspective. After years of playing a banging and bruising style, there were signs of that finally catching up to Looney's body.
Hopefully for the Lakers, that will not be the case and they can squeeze some serviceable minutes out of him when needed. Otherwise, searching for a new backup center will become a pressing matter before next year's NBA trade deadline.
Add us as a preferred source on Google