Major Offseason Questions for the Lakers Following Decisive Round One Elimination
Following another heartbreaking loss for the Lakers to the Denver Nuggets in Game Five in the first round of the NBA playoffs, many questions surround this team’s future as they begin the offseason. With the team’s key assets being aging future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the team has been undoubtedly in win-now mode. However, the question is if the team will be able to acquire the talent around them to make another championship run before their stars get too old or if the front office decides to hit the reset button on the franchise after getting easily beaten by Denver.
If the franchise is focused on winning now and wants to keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis as their core they will likely need a third star. This third piece should be someone who can offer more playmaking ability and be a dangerous shooter from the outside to open up the court spacing than what the team currently has on the roster. This has led many to think that a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young might be a great addition for the Lakers. However, the Lakers don’t have much ammunition to make a big trade since they only have one first-round draft pick over the next two years. Therefore, they would likely have to trade Austin Reaves as part of any deal made for a third star.
However, if the Lakers decide that their championship door has closed with the Western Conference as competitive as ever, they may look to restart and try to accumulate young talent and draft picks by trading their aging veterans. Even though LeBron is 39 years old, the ageless legend had an extremely productive playoff series in which he averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists a game against Denver. LeBron’s co-star Anthony Davis, showed out as well, averaging 28 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. This playoff series made it clear that even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis delivering peak-level performances, it wasn’t enough to win with an inconsistent supporting cast. The Lakers are clearly at a crossroads as they approach this offseason and will have to make changes if they look to be a championship-caliber team next year.
