The Lakers started their offseason by acquiring Russell Westbrook via a trade, but they capped it off with a flurry of moves that completely remade the team. Did they win free agency? If not, how do they rank among what other contenders were able to do this summer?
If winning free agency is judged solely by how many players you can turnover, the Lakers definitely won free agency. Including the Westbrook trade and the rookies they signed, the Lakers brought in 11 new players this offseason, while shipping out or letting walk 9 players. Outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol and the freshly re-signed Talen Horton-Tucker, this is an entirely new team with a ton of question marks still remaining.
However, this could play well for them if they can gel, because while they may be one of the oldest teams in the NBA, the Lakers brought in a ton of value this summer. It may be highlighted by convincing Malik Monk to bet on himself. Monk is a microwave who has had some career setbacks, but in the right circumstance can shine offensively. He’ll get every chance to be that 6th man option for the Lakers.
Following him, veterans like Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard are all going to play critical roles for this team, so they will have to stay healthy. Along with Kendrick Nunn, who will likely back up Westbrook and Horton-Tucker, that’s your Lakers rotation this season. All in all, they did a nice job, but like I mentioned earlier, there are still questions and some off seasons I like more than the Lakers’.
There are a few contending teams that had better summers than the Lakers. Since we’re still fresh off the Olympics, I’ll equate it as follows: the Lakers may not have made the medal stand, but they got pretty close. In my opinion, the three contending teams who had better summers are the Clippers, Warriors and Miami. By re-signing Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers assured themselves of a better summer simply because they had more to lose than the Lakers.
Add in being able to re-sign both Nic Batum and Reggie Jackson, while losing no real contributors from last season was great for them. On top of that, they were able to acquire Eric Bledsoe, who returns to the team who drafted him and, in a spot to make a lot of noise. Being able to have continuity is the biggest advantage for the Clippers over the Lakers right now.
The Warriors also had a huge summer. They locked up Steph Curry long term and also were able to bring back Andre Iguodala to play a crucial role as a leader and wing defender. If Klay Thompson is healthy, this team’s ceiling is a championship. They also added a nice rookie in Jonathan Kuminga and also brought in Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica to round out their rotation. A solid summer.
Finally, the Heat may have moved the needle the most this summer by getting Kyle Lowry. They locked up Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson long term, while also bringing back a huge wildcard in Victor Oladipo. If Oladipo can get healthy, I could see the Heat making a run in the East. They also brought in some toughness in P.J Tucker and Markieff Morris.
NBA Championship Future Odds: Lakers+325 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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