NBA: Early winners and losers of the 2020 offseason

Los Angeles Lakers – winner

Notable moves: Acquired Dennis Schroder, signed Wes Matthews and Montrezl Harrell, (expected) re-sign Anthony Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Fresh off winning the 2020 NBA Championship inside the league’s restart bubble, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t take any days off. When the NBA offseason started, the Lakers acquired Dennis Schroder and then signed Wes Matthews and Montrezl Harrell in free agency. They’re also re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anthony Davis is expected to follow.

For a defending champ to add the talent of Schroder, Matthews, and Harrell, that’s quite unfair. Even if it comes at the cost of losing Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Avery Bradley, that’s a net gain for the Lakers.

If the Lakers could still find a way to add a veteran big (potentially DeMarcus Cousins), they’d exit the NBA offseason as the prohibitive favorites to win the 2021 NBA championship. The Lakers likely aren’t done tweaking their roster, and they’ve already done a great job.