Lakers Roundtable: How to spend $61 million in the summer

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My take:

The prospects of bringing in LeBron James are interested and certainly deserve some thought. After all, James is still by far the best basketball player on Earth and doesn’t look to give up that title for a few more seasons. However, I have some problems with that theory.

First of all, LeBron does not let people know his intentions, period. Nobody saw the Miami move coming, no one really expected him to return to Cleveland. James can get his superstar buddies and head to the New York Knicks if we wanted. Why not? New York has all the benefits of LA and he doesn’t have to compete with the West. Oh yeah, and Kristaps Porzingis.

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Thus, I think the Lakers should be going all-in on bringing in the duo of Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins. George has been the guy the Lakers have targeted for over a year now. However, intrigue alone is not enough for George to embrace a homecoming.

Thus, the Lakers can entice George to come home by bringing in another superstar, the best center in the league, DeMarcus Cousins. Sure, his Achilles injury leaves a huge question mark. However, Cousins is so athletic and naturally gifted that he should come back just fine.

Is it a risk? Absolutely. But the Lakers do need a center and do need two stars. A discounted Cousins and a backloaded contract to George can do just that. Even better? The team can still afford to extend Julius Randle as well as bring in bench pieces.

Next: Why the Lakers will take over the West from Golden State

A starting five of Lonzo Ball, Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and DeMarcus Cousins not only seems to be the best route, but is the most realistic. As Ball, Ingram and Kuzma progress to stardom in a few years, that Lakers lineup will be good enough to win several titles.

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