Lakers: Five positive things to take from the 2017-2018 season
By Jason Reed
5. The ball is will be in the Lakers’ court this offseason
Dating back to last summer, the summer of 2018 has widely been targeted by fans and NBA analysts as the summer in which the Lakers would finally strike. A team as historic and prestigious as the Lakers have consistently had superstars on their team. With no real superstar at the moment, several different players have been linked to the Lakers.
And the Lakers’ front office has not done anything to stop this speculation. Los Angeles freed up $61 million in practical cap space for the offseason; more than enough to sign a star, re-sign Randle and bring in depth pieces.
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The most obvious guy for the Lakers to pursue is Paul George. George has been tied to the Los Angeles Lakers since he was on the Indiana Pacers. A Los Angeles native, the table is set for George to take over his hometown team and eventually lead them to a title. It may not happen in 2018, but with this young core and George, they could win very soon.
For a while, though, the Lakers seemed to have no power in the matter; George would come to the Lakers if he so pleased. And while the team has no power in making him exercise his player option, they are now in a much better state.
The young core is a very intriguing one to play with; especially after the superstar trio of George, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony has not translated to success. Perhaps George realizes now that you can’t just slap stars together and win a title.
Before the season, George stated that for him to go to a team like the Lakers then another guy would have to go as well. Now, that young core is enough. Even if it isn’t, the Lakers now have the foundation to add another guy for George. Paul George should want to be a Laker; the ball is in their court.
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And even if they strike out this offseason, there are plenty of stars to pursue in 2019. Heck, they could even pursue a trade for Kawhi Leonard if that is really what the front office wanted to do. Regardless, the ball is now in the Lakers’ court.