Lakers off-season deal
Regardless of whether the glass is seen as half empty or half full, the Lakers’ offseason has made few insiders happy. They began it with promise, with projected lottery pick Dalton Knecht landing in their laps at 17th in the rookie draft. They then applied a full-court press on Splash Brother Klay Thompson; top dog LeBron James put his money where his mouth was, exhibiting a readiness to take a pay cut and personally courting the would-be free agent. As the days passed, however, it slowly became apparent that their efforts to strengthen the roster would be for naught.
True, the dealmaking isn’t done yet. There are still some cogs available in the market for the Lakers, the spurning of Thompson for the Mavericks and the loss of supposed secondary target Jonas Valanciunas notwithstanding. Evidently, they have shifted their sights to the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Jerami Grant, and, yes, Kyle Kuzma. Unfortunately, their flexibility to improve their position has been hampered by the irony of D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, and Christian Wood exercising their player options for the coming season.
It bears noting, of course, that the Lakers’ top-heavy situation has already placed a ceiling on their potential to contend for the championship. With or without Thompson, they would still begin their 2024-25 campaign staring at the backsides of such notables as the Celtics, Mavericks, Thunder, Sixers, Timberwolves, and Nuggets. In short, they’re doomed to cast moist eyes on the Larry O’Brien Trophy with internally generated handicaps — including the assimilation of new head coach JJ Redick.
Which is not to say the Lakers don’t have blessings to count. First and foremost, they have James back in the fold. And even as he pushes 40, there can be no counting him — and the jersey he wears — out of any conversation. There is likewise the benefit of not spending megabucks on possibilities that carry significant risk. Thompson, for instance, isn’t worth the $20 million-per-year contract they dangled, not with two major surgeries and two steps lost on defense. The last thing they need is yet another sieve that negates their scoring prowess.
All things considered, the Lakers are actually better off than their immediate-vicinity rivals. The Clippers gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps for Paul George five years ago, only to see the latter head to the Sixers in pursuit of more money. The Warriors escorted a bitter Thompson to the door, effectively bidding goodbye to a dynasty. For good measure, the purple and gold can likewise find some solace in seeing restrictive provisions of the new collective bargaining agreement victimize the hated Nuggets.
Bottom line, the Lakers remain in control of their fate. They may not be in the upper echelon of contenders, but they cannot be counted out, either. They have James and Anthony Davis, after all, and the onus is now on them to make hay while the sun shines.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.