Lakers Roundtable: How to spend $61 million in the summer
By Jason Reed
Redan Lopez’ take:
The ideal scenario for the Lakers must match their ideal goal: That is to compete and win championships now. LA has always been known to be the land of stars, fame, and championships.
To achieve this ultimate goal, the Lakers must go out and get the ultimate prize out there in free agency: LeBron James. James has not made a commitment to stay in Cleveland beyond this season and the Lakers, especially VP of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka, must persuade him to go to LA.
James is still very much an elite player at 33 years old and still has several peak years left. The youth of the Lakers will ensure his career longevity.
However, one star is not enough. It is ideal to bring another good star to complement the ultimate superstar. With a youthful core of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart, the Lakers need to have a proven scorer with the ability to be a playmaker for others.
Eric Bledsoe would be a great fit because of his ability to handle the ball and slash with speed through the lane. Bledsoe would open up opportunities for easy, high percentage baskets. This is only if the Lakers can pry him away from the Milwaukee Bucks.
I personally think the Bucks have too many ball handlers with Malcolm Brogdon, Matthew Dellavedova and Giannis Antetokounmpo when healthy so one or two may have to go.
California native Paul George would also do well because of his ability to stretch defenses with his great perimeter and three-point shooting. This would open up lanes for the Lakers youth to make plays. The Lakers should make a big push for George as the OKC experiment with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony has reached expectations as far as the regular season goes.
With over $60 million in cap space this offseason, the Lakers should go all in. The LA fan base has been clamoring for the Lakers to be a championship team again – with their youth and veteran stars and leadership, the Lakers would be once again in the conversation for a title.