At the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick. With Ball being the team's point guard of the future, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka traded D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets to create cap space for 2018 free agency.

With the hope of signing two max contract players next year, the Lakers have been strongly linked with LeBron James and Paul George, who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder after seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers. According to ESPN Cleveland, Ball's father believes James should come to Los Angeles if he wants to win more championships:

With Kyrie Irving reportedly requesting a trade, it remains to be seen if James plays the remainder of his career in his hometown. Should Cleveland ultimately move Irving, the Cavaliers are still expected to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference for the fourth consecutive season. Despite the Boston Celtics signing Gordon Hayward in free agency, it is expected the Cavaliers will receive a substantial return for the four-time All-Star.

For the Lakers, there is great optimism with a new front office led by Jonhson and Pelinka. With a young core of Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle, the team's young core will need to show they are truly two superstars away from contention in the highly competitive Western Conference. If Los Angeles is able to make great strides this upcoming season, there will continue to be speculation of James and George teaming up.