Los Angeles Lakers: A third max guy is not the answer
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have already made the biggest move of the summer in trading for Anthony Davis and don’t appear to be done quite yet.
The Los Angeles Lakers ended the speculation that had been building since the trade deadline and traded for former New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis. This gives LeBron James his superstar running mate and the Lakers a realistic path to winning the NBA Title.
We all knew that the Los Angeles Lakers would not be done after this trade. The team still has some cap space to use and a roster to fill out after trading Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart to the Pelicans.
Not only that, but the Lakers are also losing several players to free agency as well. Yes, they have the money to spend but need to build a roster.
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Right when the deal took place it appeared as if the Lakers had enough cap space to sign a third star. However, because of Davis’ trade kicker, the Lakers will not have enough space for a third max guy but can still afford to fill out the depth of the roster.
Instead of taking that route it appears as if the team is set on creating a new big three. The team is reportedly looking to dump the contracts of Moritz Wagner, Jemerrio Jones and Isaac Bonga to create space.
Just to put that into perspective, the Los Angeles Lakers would have three players on the roster if they did that. Yes, three. LeBron, Davis and Kyle Kuzma.
That is a terrible way to run a basketball team and is only going to create a roster that is top heavy with the potential of collapsing with one or two injuries. Sure, it would mean getting someone like Kemba Walker, but the Lakers are already just fine without a third star.
LeBron and Davis are more than enough to win a title as long as they have the right pieces and role players around them. Kuzma is already progressing into quite the scorer and is the perfect third man on a title-contending team that is capable of having a big night any night.
Bring in some three-point shooters and defensive pieces and suddenly we are talking. Not only can the Lakers add three or four players instead of one, they can also keep Wagner, Jones and Bonga for the rotation as well.
None of those three guys will be huge role players in the postseason but they are valuable players for the grind that is the NBA regular season. That is a better route than just stuffing the bench with veteran minimum guys.
Next. Patrick Beverley is perfect for the Lakers. dark
The idea of a three-superstar super team is fun and certainly would sell a lot of tickets. But in the grand scheme of things, that is probably the worst route the Los Angeles Lakers could take this summer.