Aloha,
This is going to be a fun series. It is a showcase of what the highly restrictive CBA has created. Moving forward the new NBA model will be one or two stars and elite depth. Both the Pacers and OKC are built that way. They both had 10 and 11 man rotation in the playoffs that wore the other team down.
The Lakers have stars and some elite depth, just not enough depth. I’m not sure we can fix it in one off season. The Lakers have to decide if they are building for the future or trying to win this year with LeBron. Unless LeBron would agree to a pay cut. I doubt he will, so the future it is.
First we can’t make any short term trades. Forget adding a 3rd superstar. We would not be able to win because it would take much of our depth to land one.
I see both sides of the trade Austin argument. On the one hand he is a defensive liability. On the other hand he averages 20 a game as the 3rd option and could climb to 25 when Lebron hangs it up. But there is a big problem trading Austin. He is much better than his contract and it would require adding value contracts to make a deal. I have purposed trades that would give us of a center and add depth but it seems like the Lakers would not be willing to let him go for anything less than a star.
So what can the Lakers do? Step one of course would be add a center.
While I don’t see the Mav’s trading directly with the Lakers. They could assist as a 3rd team in a trade for the PG the Mav’s need. Every trade proposal I’ve read has had Gafford included. One would be the Nets doing a sign and trade for DLO who had great chemistry with AD. The nets could trade Gafford to the Lakers. And the Nets have the cap space to take on say, Kleber, because I don’t see them using that cap space until next year, considering it’s not a good free agent class.
There are other opportunities that could pop up. Before the Lakers traded for Mark Williams they talked to the Pistons about Jalen Duran. An athletic 6’ 10” 21 year old who averaged 10 boards, 3.6 of which were offensive and 1.1 blocks in 26 minutes. The Pistons turned them down. But things change. The Pistons are interested in either Myles Turner or Naz Reed. And they are one of the few teams with the cap space to sign them. Now I don’t think Turner is going anywhere. You could tell how much he loves the Pacers after his post game remarks. He will get paid. But Reed has made it crystal clear that he feels he is a starting caliber center and wants to be one. I could see him leaving for an up and coming team like the Pistons. And the Pistons will need more shooting. Hardaway is 33 and in decline. I don’t think they will resign him. Dalton could be a good fit for them.
And there will be other opportunities.
Landing another two way guard or wing could be harder with only the tax payer MLE available. That might have to wait until next year unless LeBron wants to help.
I won’t count out internal growth as well. Vando was injured the last two summers and couldn’t work on his game and missed huge chunks of the season. There have been some stretches where he has shown some offense. If he can just become a neutral offensive player he has elite defensive chops and is even better with a rim protector behind him.
If Dalton isn’t traded I expect improvement from him. He’s not the first rookie to struggle defensively his first year. My goal for him would be to become a neutral defender.
Then there’s Brony. Yes Brony. I was impressed by how far he came from summer league to the end of the season. He struggled in the beginning in the G league but ended as one of the best in the league. I watched a lot of G league games and he was dominant. You can’t forget that he nearly died on the court. While his body healed he had a tremendous mental hurdle to overcome. Add the pressure of playing with his dad, it’s no wonder that he got off to a slow start. I can see him eventually taking over Gabe’s job. I think he will get 10 to 15 minutes a game to start next year.
Goodwin was another guy that could contribute as a depth piece. He plays with a tremendous amount of energy and was quite disruptive at times. Tre is another. He has one more year on his 2 way contract but I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a third center. You need enforcers.
There should be a few free agent bargains as well. Bruce Brown was ready to sign with the Lakers until the Pacers overpaid to get him. He has had a rough couple of years and will probably be a minimum contract target. He needs to repair his value. He’s the kind of free agent we should look at.
I’m not sure what the Lakers will do. Finding that center rotation is a must. If LeBron does retire after this year, there will be a lot of quality free agents available next year and we will have the money to grab a few. It’s about to get crazy in a month.