The Los Angeles Lakers have taken full advantage of the offseason thus far
By Criss Partee
The Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA offseason
The Los Angeles Lakers have continued their winning ways, strolling into the free-agent signing period and pulling off a couple of the biggest signings of the weekend.
First came the foreseeable decision of Anthony Davis opting out of the final year of his deal, as he Is fully expected to re-sign with the Lakers on a new long-term deal. So, no need to worry here Lakers fans, your big man will be back alongside Finals MVP LeBron James for at least another few seasons.
The signing that did come as a bit of a surprise to most was the Lakers swooping in to steal away Montrezl Harrell, from their Staples Center roomies, the LA Clippers.
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Harrell can slide in at power forward or center off the bench in place of Dwight Howard, who chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers after he had already announced on Twitter that he would be returning to LA. It is a strange occurrence, but not all that shocking considering the season we just witnessed, and it is Dwight Howard. We’ll just leave it at that.
Dennis Schroder is another nice pick up for the Lakers, acquiring him via trade as he’ll be replacing veteran and two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo, who opted to head south for the winter and sign a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
At this point, Schroder brings a little more to the table than does Rondo at his advanced age. Schroder is only 27, can play on or off the ball, and will be a better shooter than Rondo. Now if he can be better than “Playoff Rondo,” will have to be proven when the time comes. As for now, on paper, this looks like a great signing by the Lakers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope agreed to stay in SoCal by agreeing to a three-year $40 million deal with the Lakers. If KCP can carry over his performances from the playoffs and especially his production in the Finals, then this deal will be worth every penny over the next three years.
The Lakers did lose sharpshooter Danny Green along with the 28th pick in the draft when they agreed to the trade to bring in Schroder. Again, this trade helped them get much younger and clear up space for other signings.
Another notable signing the Lakers snuck in under the radar is Wesley Matthews, who adds to the depth of the Lakers’ bench and brings another veteran presence to the roster.
In what could turn out to be the biggest free-agent signing for the Lakers this season, the team has also agreed to a two-year deal with Marc Gasol. This signing speaks for itself, but if you need more assurance just think about this. The last time the Lakers signed a player with the last name ‘Gasol’ he helped Kobe Bryant win two more championships to bring his total up to five.
It was also reported by Adrian Wojnarowski Sunday evening that the Lakers had also traded center JaVale McGee to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. Guard Avery Bradley also decided to end his tenure with the Lakers when he agreed to sign a two-year $11.6 million deal with the Miami Heat.
Even in losing key players like Rondo, Howard, and Bradley, the Lakers still look like they are ready to contend and defend their title in the upcoming season.
Let’s not forget they were able to hold onto young forward Kyle Kuzma as there has been plenty of speculation around his name being involved in trade talks. But, if they do want to make another splashy move, they have Kuzma as a bargaining chip if they do choose to go that route.
Here is a tentative look at the Lakers 2020-21 roster:
- G/F – LeBron James
- F/C – Anthony Davis
- G – Dennis Schröder
- F/C – Montrezl Harrell
- G – Alex Caruso
- G – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- F – Kyle Kuzma
- G – Wesley Matthews
- G – Talen Horton-Tucker
- C – Marc Gasol
- F – Alfonzo McKinnie
- C – Jordan Bell (might be cut by the team)
NBA: Early winners and losers of the 2020 offseason. dark. Next
Now they may not be done making moves, but it looks and feels like the Los Angeles Lakers are primed and ready to make a run at being repeat NBA champions.