Los Angeles Lakers can retool with unexpected trade with Portland Trail Blazers
By Andy Quach
What do the Los Angeles Lakers look like next season?
While freeing themselves of Russell Westbrook, and his albatross contract at the time, was a necessity and brought back a palatable return, the Los Angeles Lakers may have found the ceiling on their new roster in this Western Conference Finals run.
Dispatching the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies and the twilight run of the Golden State Warriors dynasty was no easy feat, but the shellacking that they’re currently receiving from the Denver Nuggets is much more telling of the strength of their core.
Taking a brief look at the current Western Conference landscape, it’s much easier to see a future where the Lakers are either back in the Play-In Tournament next year or even out of the playoff picture altogether than one where they somehow improve upon their Western Conference Finals appearance from this postseason.
The Memphis Grizzlies are still young and growing, as are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, and Oklahoma City Thunder. All four of those teams are slated to make a playoff run next season. The LA Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans have the talent to compete and could finally get healthy at the right time. The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks will have more time and resources to build around their new stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
That’s eight playoff-caliber teams, and that’s not even counting the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors who were in this year’s postseason, or the Portland Trail Blazers who should be looking to return to the playoffs with Damian Lillard.
Assuming that the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs all tank another year, the Lakers still have to edge out four other teams to either secure themselves a playoff spot for next postseason or to win their way in via the Play-In Tournament.
Before even thinking about next year’s playoff push, though, they’ll have to address their in-house free agents in Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker IV, and Malik Beasley, who they have a team option for. At best, Los Angeles is looking at going deep into the tax just to run it back with their current core roster.