Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off an NBA Championship, how much better could they have gotten? Well, GM Rob Pelinka is not the type of person to settle with their one championship and proved it when he aggressively made a championship roster even better and a bigger threat. Anthony Davis has not resigned with the Lakers yet, as he is waiting for them to figure out everyone else’s contract situations first, but they have brought in some of the biggest names on the market this offseason.
The first move the Lakers made this offseason was moving Danny Green in exchange for Dennis Schroder. Not only is he a great three-point shooter, but he is a guy who can be the team’s point guard moving forward, taking a lot of pressure off of LeBron James as being the team’s primary ball-handler. In addition to trading for Schroder, the Lakers also bolstered their bench by bringing Alfonzo McKinnie and former champion, Jordan Bell.
In free agency, the Lakers did not stop being aggressive as they signed reigning Sixth-Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, from under their rivals, the LA Clippers. They also brought in veteran wing Wesley Matthews, veteran center Marc Gasol, and resigned shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and forward Markieff Morris, who were both key contributors to their championship winning season last year.
Adding Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell are two big time moves and statements by the Lakers because they are now one of the biggest teams in the league. Anthony Davis can move back to his traditional position at power-forward and dominate even more on offensive than he has. Their two signings at center also make the Lakers even better defensively as Gasol and Harrell are two great low-post defenders.
Overall, the moves the Lakers made this offseason put the rest of the league on notice that they are not leaving anytime soon and are doing what it takes to not only repeat as champions, but compete for championships for years to come. Depth on the wing could become a problem if LeBron James or Caldwell-Pope were to get injured this upcoming season, but at full strength, this Lakers team looks more dangerous than they were last season.
