The Los Angeles Lakers began the season with a 2-10 record. After completely missing the play-in tournament and playoffs in 2022, the Lakers fanbase was afraid their team would suffer the same have the same in 2022-23.
They started finding their rhythm after numerous trade deadline moves executed by general manager Rob Pelinka. Even after the departure of Russell Westbrook and arrivals of Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, Los Angeles still had to fight through the play-in tournament to punch its ticket to the Western Conference playoffs as a seven seed.
The Lakers beat the odds by upsetting the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, then nipped the defending-champion Golden State Warriors in six game to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets courtesy of a sweep, all the evidence the front office needs to re-fortify the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis ahead of 2023-24.
Russell, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schroder are unrestricted free agents, while Austin Reaves and Hachimura are restricted free agents. Even with the uncertainty of their lineup for next season, the Lakers have move one player bound to be a cog in any offseason trade they plan to complete.
Mo Bamba
After acquiring Mo Bamba before the 2023 trade deadline, the expectation was for him to replace the role of Thomas Bryant as the backup big man to Anthony Davis. That did not turn out to be the case as Bamba missed a sizable chunk of the regular season with an injury that left him glued to the bench during the playoffs.
Bamba's best game in a Laker uniform was a 12-point outing in the first week of March, so there is no apparent reason to keep him for the 2023-24 season. The production Bamba brings to the Lakers can be matched by someone like Tristan Thompson or Wenyen Gabriel.
Since the Lakers are involved in a plethora of offseason rumors, such as acquiring Trae Young or Kyrie Irving, they can guarantee Bamba's $10.3 million deal for next season and use it as salary filler in a larger trade.
Despite his relative youth at 25 years old and status as a former top-five pick in the draft, the Lakers do not have any incentive to sign Bamba to a new contract or even guarantee the final season of his current contract absent a trade. Rather than losing him this summer for nothing, a prudent move would be to use his contract in a trade.
The Lakers must focus on adding a couple of ball handlers and shooters who will complement the trio of James, Davis and Reaves. The weaknesses of Los Angeles were exposed in the Denver series, and addressing them through any team-building means necessary must be the team's utmost priority this summer. The Lakers were indeed the only postseason foe to be swept by the Nuggets, but still put up a better fight against Nikola Jokic and the newly minted Western Conference champions than the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Similar to James Wiseman, Bamba needs more developmental court time before possibly emerging as a reliable NBA contributor, and it won't come for a team with championship aspirations. He'd be best off playing for a young, up-and-coming team going forward, and the it would be easier for the Lakers to pull off a high-profile trade by including Bamba's contract.
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