With the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have in their hands one of the most fearsome pairings the league has ever seen. After months of back-and-forth between themselves and the New Orleans Pelicans, the L.A. front office finally struck gold and achieved their ultimate goal of acquiring the services of one of the best big men in the league today.
This did not come for cheap though, as the Lakers had to part ways with three important players in their rotation in form of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart (and a couple of draft picks as well). Moreover, L.A. have a ton of incoming free agents this offseason, which means that aside from the core of James, Davis, and Kyle Kuzma, the rest of the lineup is pretty much a question mark at this point.
The Lakers front office will have their work cut out for them this summer, and they will have quite a long list to accomplish. Below, we've identified the positions L.A. will need to fill, as well as the players they should look at given their cap room. Note that the list below works under the assumption that the Pelicans will not be waiting until July 30 to make the Davis deal official, and in effect, prevent the Lakers from signing a max player in free agency.
Point Guard
With premier point guards such as Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker out of the picture, the Lakers will need to get realistic and sign a player that is within their budget. Based on reports, this should be somewhere in the $20 million range, and the player that comes to mind is former Laker D'Angelo Russell. The 22-year-old All-Star point guard is reportedly interested in a return to Hollywood, so if everything falls into place, Russell would be a perfect fit alongside the trio of James, Davis, and Kuzma.
If the Lakers strike out on Russell, however, the next best option would be to sign Rajon Rondo to an extension. The 32-year-old veteran was on a $9-million deal last season, so this should work. After all, he is a former NBA champion and perhaps it is this type of experience the Lakers will need to help James steady the boat, so to speak.
Shooting Guard
If the Lakers decide to part ways with starting two-guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the summer, then they will need to find a replacement. Philadelphia 76ers sharpshooter JJ Redick could be available for around $12 million per year — the same deal he signed with the Sixers last season — and he is exactly the type of shooter LeBron needs around him. Terrence Ross of the Orlando Magic and Seth Curry of the Portland Trail Blazers are in the same mold, and these are two other free agent options the Lakers should consider.
Frontcourt Depth
The Lakers frontcourt is going to look like this next season: LeBron at the three, Kuzma at the four, and Davis at the five. This is definitely a sight to behold, but the problem is, the Lakers have very little depth, if any, behind these three.
JaVale McGee, Tyson Chandler, and Mike Muscala (who arrived in a mid-season trade deal last season from the Los Angeles Clippers) are all on expiring deals, and right now, we are unsure if the Lakers will be willing to offer any of these guys an extension for next season.
Given this predicament, L.A. should set their sights on Golden State Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins. The former All-Star did not do enough last season with the Dubs to warrant a big-money deal form the Warriors or any other team, so the Lakers might be able to get him at a discount. The 6-foot-11 center would be an excellent addition for the team's second unit, and could even provide some minutes alongside Davis in a reboot of their previous pairing in New Orleans.
It's basically going to be a free-for-all in Hollywood this summer, and the Lakers front office will need to do a lot of maneuvering in order to fill the voids in their squad. It's not going to be easy, but at the end of the day, this is still L.A. — one of the most attractive free agent destinations in the entire league. Moreover, they have now become frontrunners to go all the way next season, so this would definitely make for a much easier pitch for any free agent they may be interested in. This is definitely going to be fun.
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