The Return of the Lake Show
With a slew of solid young players and plenty of cap space, it won’t take long for the lowly Lakers to be exciting once again.
The Lakers haven’t had much going for them lately. Their last trip to the playoffs came in 2012–13, when they were swept in the first round. Last season was joyous but ultimately fruitless and uncomfortable — recall Kobe’s farewell tour, the Snapchat crisis, Coach Byron Scott’s lame duck status, and on, and on.
But there is hope in LA yet.
While nobody was looking at the roster itself, LA acquired a handful of potential-filled players. They also have tons of money and none of the sort of sentimental ties that have bogged them down recently. (Sorry, KB.) Great upside lies in the Lakers’ flexibility.
Here’s what they’re working with…
— Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. Ingram is still just 18, but he should be ready to contribute defensively due to his length and offensively as a sharp-shooter. His sweet collegiate shooting (41 percent from deep with Duke last season) should translate into early NBA success.
— Point guard D’Angelo Russell (20) and forward Julius Randle (21) are recent top-7 draft picks with serious upside. Russell averaged over 15 points per game post-All-Star last year ,peaking with 39 in March, and Randle averaged a double-double on the season. It’s easy to picture them sharing the floor as Western Conference All-Stars in the near future.
— Jordan Clarkson (24), a restricted free agent, is the type of steady dude who could average exactly 15 points per game until 2027.
— Energetic forward Larry Nance Jr. doesn’t have the same trajectory, but can run up and down the floor all night without running out of gas — a nice attribute on a young team.
Throw in a ton of money—with a salary cap spiking to $94 million and only around $30 million in guaranteed contracts (pre-Clarkson resolution) for the coming season committed to the above players and guards Nick Young and Lou Williams (who could both be easily moved this summer)—plus the beautiful city of Los Angeles. What free agent wouldn’t be interested in living in LA?
OPTION A: Chill
No sudden movements. Russell, Clarkson and Randle offer plenty of talent in the backcourt and around the rim, but the Lakers were short a foundational wing player. Ingram, a lanky scoring wing, will be a fantastic fit in L.A. That makes four seriously talented prospects.
From there, they’d need help from the likes of a Ian Mahinmi or a Donatas Motiejunas — free agents with some upside who won’t break the bank. Either of those guys (or both) could contribute effective if unsexy minutes to the frontcourt.
This all seems unlikely knowing the ever-flashy Lakers, but it would establish a legit bed of young talent. It’s also important to remember that if the Lakers’ 2017 draft pick falls out of the top three, it will be turned over to Phoenix; a year of losing with a high-upside group offers the only chance to keep it. Option A — call it patience, or tanking — allows L.A. to remain on a respectable, if slightly unwatchable, path.
This also opens the door for them to lay low for a year, then go after a big dog—like a Russell Westbrook or a Kevin Durant—with the bags of money they’ll have on deck next summer.
OPTION B: One foot in, one foot out.
The idea here is that the Lakers retain their young core while diving deep into free agency.
There are a number of mid-level available players who could help the Lakers, including DeMar DeRozan, Nicolas Batum, Al Horford, Harrison Barnes and Hassan Whiteside. And some on the next tier down: Ryan Anderson, Chandler Parsons, Joakim Noah and more. Any of the them would be welcome. But Whiteside is the guy to watch.
The league’s best shot-blocker will be 27 when next season begins — still young enough to grow with L.A.’s core. Leaving a contender in Miami might be tough, but the Lakers’ group of young players could be more appealing than the greying Heat, especially considering Chris Bosh’s murky future.
Most of all, with the cap increasing by up to around 30 percent, the difference between max money and less-than-max will be tremendous. Miami might get stingy, and the Lakers could offer Whiteside max dough. For a dude who’s played on partial guarantees and minimum wage salaries since 2010, that is, one would think, a big deal.
OPTION C: GTFOH!
It’s possible that the Lakers will return zero players for next season.
If L.A. shifts into win-now mode,which would be amazing following a 17-win season, they’d likely first eye a pair of blockbuster trades. One would presumably center on Russell and Randle for Star X, the other on Ingram for Star Y.
Feel free to insert the usual trade-block suspects for X and Y — All-Stars like DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Jimmy Butler. If the Lakers deal for two of them, they could then hit the free agent market for a third star, or maybe two quality starters (remember: they have lots of cash).
One could imagine endless possibilities here, so speculation is pretty cheap. But if the Lakers decide to wholly Go For It, they’ve got the ammo to keep us fascinated all summer.
Regardless, the league’s quietest rebuild is ready to make noise. Russell, Randle and Ingram make for either an exciting triumvirate or top-shelf trade bait. The Lakers will have fun players in the fold next season.
Wins won’t be far behind.
