The Lakers are looking to add shooting.
LeBron James, gary trent Jr, Raptors, Lakers, LeBron Lakers
Last week, it was announced that LeBron James was going to be agreeing to a maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers for two years, with a player option after one, to the tune of over $50 million per campaign. This came after it had been suggested that James would be willing to take a pay cut if the Lakers were able to lure in a prized free agent; however, that never came to fruition, and the star will now add to his pile of billions.
While the Lakers may not have been able to get DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, Paul George, or other marquee names, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still enticing options on the market for Rob Pelinka and company to explore. One area where the Lakers could use some roster depth is at the shooting guard position, and just adding shooting to their roster in general, and if the latest reports are any indication, the Los Angeles brass could be interested in doing just that.
“Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie are two names to watch for if the Lakers clear enough space to use their taxpayer midlevel exception, according to league sources,” reported Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Trent has spent the past couple of seasons in a Toronto Raptors uniform and remains a bona fide sniper from beyond the arc, while Dinwiddie joined the Lakers midway through last season and had some solid moments for the team.
The pair also broke down how the Lakers could be looking at trying to move on from one or two of their veterans in order to free up room.
“James’ new contract puts the Lakers at just under the $188.9 million second apron. If the Lakers can salary dump a couple of their veteran minimum contracts — attaching a second-round pick to entice a trade partner — they’d create two roster spots and the flexibility to use the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception,” reported Buha and Sharnia. “The Lakers have preferred to enter previous seasons with only 14 players on their roster for flexibility in trades and on the buyout market.”
Can the Lakers compete with this roster?
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James watches at a press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center
Even if Gary Trent Jr. does sign or Spencer Dinwiddie does in fact return to the Lakers, the team has still done essentially nothing to address the defensive issues that plagued them throughout last season. The reality of the situation is that Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell are not compatible together defensively as a backcourt. If they had prime LeBron James flanking them on the wings, it could make up some of the difference, but James at 39 is not exactly the same stopper he was on that end of the court ten years ago.
Still, adding more shooting would at least help the Lakers if they aim to take a “track meet” style approach to the game, simply trying to outscore other teams, even if it means giving up 120 or more points per game.
In any case, the schedule is set to
be announced next month.
