Lakers Rumors: How LA can survive the worst case scenario this summer

The latest Lakers rumors are here about how they can deal with the summer free agency plan, among other things, not going as planned.

Once this season ends, we’ll know that Lonzo Ball is for sure an all-time great and that free agency will be a breeze, right? As one of the first dominos to fall, Paul George will fall out of love with Oklahoma City and make the decision to come play for his hometown purple and gold — right?

Well, pump the brakes on all of that noise for just a second.

The fact that the Lakers have been inactive to make trades that most of us think they should, and they’ve reportedly been exploring said trade options since last season, means that they haven’t made up their mind in the front office.

I’ve said this before in other pieces, but cannot stress the importance of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka setting a clear role for this young core, if any — even if that means everyone except Lonzo Ball taking a back seat for a superstar.

Realistically, that means a lot for Brandon Ingram which is surprising after the kind of praise he got from Johnson just this last summer, even to the point of being untouchable. This is because the two players that seem to be at the top of their list — Paul George and LeBron James — play Ingram’s position.

So unless he’s willing to either change positions or accept a lesser role, the picture next season for the purple and gold isn’t all that clear. This doesn’t mean that nothing will happen, but they do need to be ready for anything and not except it to all go their way.

Here’s three things they can do to be prepared for that worst case scenario.