14. Los Angeles Lakers
Key offseason moves: Drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James; re-signed LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers have been relatively quiet this summer. But I can't imagine they're done making moves. If so, it could end up being another depressing season for the Purple and Gold. For as good of a player as Dalton Knecht can be this season, I can't imagine the only moves the Lakers make this summer revolve around drafting a 3-point shooting specialist and LeBron's son, Bronny James. If that's all they do, jobs could be on the line heading into this season.
In this initial power rankings, the No. 14 spot is more of a respect for LeBron and Anthony Davis. If they remain healthy, they should be good enough to carry this team to a playoff spot in the Western Conference. But, make no mistake, if the Lakers want to emerge as a championship contender in the West, they're going to have to make a bold move before the start of the season.
For now, the Lakers get an incomplete for the offseason. Even though they don't have much flexibility, I still believe there's another move to be made by the team. It may not come for a while as the NBA offseason has seemingly entered a standstill.