Subscribe
Follow Us
Things did not exactly go as planned in LeBron James' first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers were unable to land another star to put alongside James, injuries ravaged the roster, the team did not make the playoffs and, most shocking of all, Magic Johnson stepped down as team president.
So, basically, the Lakers are in shambles right now, and they definitely need to have a good offseason to restore order (as if there was ever any sort of order there over the last several years to begin with).
The good news for Los Angeles is that it will have plenty of cap room this summer, so it will have an opportunity to land another star free agent.
Here are a few offseason predictions for the Lakers.
3. They Won't Make any Major Trades
One of the biggest problems plaguing the Lakers right now is that it seems like no one really wants to deal with them.
The San Antonio Spurs wanted nothing to do with Los Angeles when they were trying to trade Kawhi Leonard last summer, and the New Orleans Pelicans simply toyed with the Lakers in Anthony Davis trade talks this past season.
The general feeling is that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is not all that well-liked around the league, and the LA franchise is simply not all that beloved as a whole.
And now, without the infinitely likeable Magic at the helm, it may very well be even more difficult for the Lakers to make any major deals this summer.
Los Angeles can almost surely forget about AD, and as far as any other stars? Yeah. Trades probably aren't happening.
2. They Won't Land any of the Top Free Agents
Keep in mind that when I say “top free agents,” I am talking about guys like Leonard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Article Continues Below
Leonard doesn't seem too keen on playing alongside of LeBron, nor does Durant. As for Irving? Sure, he has apparently squashed his beef with James, but it seems hard to fathom those two ever teaming up again.
Playing with James does not carry the cache it once did. Not only does being a teammate of James come with the added pressure of being scapegoated, but players around the NBA don't feel that LeBron is all that invincible anymore.
Now, guys want to beat James rather than join him, and it almost feels like he is on the outside looking in of all of the potential superteams that could form this summer.
There was a time when LeBron spearheaded that movement. In 2019, he is almost an afterthought.
1. They Will Land Someone Significant
Just because the Lakers probably won't end up with any of the A-list free agents doesn't mean they won't end up signing anyone at all.
There are still plenty of good non-Durant free agents out there, such as Kemba Walker, Tobias Harris and Paul Millsap (if the Nuggets decline his team option), all of whom will likely generate some form of interest from Los Angeles this summer.
Walker is the most interesting name, and he actually seems like the best fit. LeBron has played with a player like Walker before (hello, Kyrie), so he knows what it takes to win with a guard of Walker's style and caliber. Plus, Walker is not a top-10 guy in the league, so there really isn't a ton of media and fan pressure on Walker.
Basically, with all of that cap room and the allure of Hollywood, the Lakers will certainly sign someone this offseason. It just won't be the superstar talent James was hoping for when he first signed up.
