The main reason for the Minnesota Timberwolves shaking off the Julius Randle contract has now been made perfectly clear. They were putting bigger plans into motion. On Thursday morning, everyone in the NBA saw exactly what those were.
Shams Charania reported: "Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033)."
Anthony Edwards finally gets the star point guard that has eluded him for the entirety of his career in Minnesota. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, get an audible groan over another Western Conference foe raising the barrier on what it takes to be a true contender near the top of the ranks.
The Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals in two of the last three seasons. Getting Edwards a star partner in the backcourt should not be overlooked in the type of damage it could do. For the Lakers, this may also be as simple as not watching another team pass them by.
Lakers cannot allow the Timberwolves to overtake them in the West
The Lakers are already playing catch-up to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs in the West. If the generous assumption was that Los Angeles, at full strength, were right behind those two then an improved Timberwolves team immediately challenges that notion.
It was already going to be an important summer for Rob Pelinka and company. Luka Doncic wants a real shot at a championship next season. That does not come to pass if the Lakers do not commit themselves to pulling out every trick in the book when it comes to improving the roster.
They got off to a great start in the NBA Draft. Cameron Carr should fit the team like a glove, projecting to be a player that can play off Doncic masterfully. Now, it is a matter of what comes next.
There is still a glaring hole at the starting center spot for the Lakers. That is easily the biggest need from here. Remember, Doncic was asking for an 'A-list center' according to Dave McMenamin.
Sorting out LeBron James' future is certainly not an afterthought either. The same goes for the need to find more quality two-way players on the wings. There is a lot of work still left for the Lakers.
If they cannot satisfy those elements adequately, they may be forced to watch the rest of the Western Conference continue to lap them. That is not a fate the Lakers want to willingly accept when they have one of the best players on the planet in their building.
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