Lakers Made Inexcusable Mistake While Recruiting Top Guards in FA

The Los Angeles Lakers have been a consistent topic of discussion this offseason. Their season ended on a bad note, getting bounced by the Denver Nuggets for the straight season.

They entered the offseason with a clear need to improve the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis but they have failed to do. Thus far, they've only re-signed James while adding Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Outside of that, they made zero outside additions and the latest news highlights their incompetence.

Lakers News: Los Angeles Didn't Offer Starting Jobs to Klay Thompson or Gary Trent Jr.

According to Anthony F. Irwin, he reported that the Lakers didn't promise starting roles to either Gary Trent Jr. or Klay Thompson.

If that's true, that is a wild decision. The Lakers reportedly offered Thompson a four-year, $80 million deal but he opted to join the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year, $50 million contract. In addition, Trent Jr. signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on a veteran minimum deal.

The Lakers know the time is ticking on LeBron James playing at a high level, as he turns 40 years old in December. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis has a knack for getting nicked up throughout the year.

Rather than aggressively improving the team, they decided to not offer starting gigs to either player. Thompson, a four-time NBA Champion, should have been told he was starting. He would have been the perfect addition alongside to the duo of James-Davis due to his sharpshooting and ability to play off-ball.

Even Trent Jr. is a solid shot-creator who would have thrived in Los Angeles.

Instead, the Lakers decided to play hardball, missing out on both players. Now with options very slim on the market, Los Angeles will likely be running it back with the same team from last year.

And that's a recipe for disaster.

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