The 2018 Lakers offseason has been one of the most exciting in recent memory. After years of swinging and missing on stars, the Lakers have finally hooked the biggest prize of them in all in LeBron James. Los Angeles has also added numerous other free agents, as well as turned loose some of last season’s key players. They’ve had a tumultuous offseason, so let’s take a look at every transaction.
Additions
Free Agency
LeBron James – Four Years $153 million:
L.A. finally got its superstar after years of fruitless chases in free agency. The roster might not be ideal for James, but he can definitely work with it. It’s not the spread-the-floor team James is used to, but the idea of pairing him with multiple playmakers is intriguing. Expect to see some difficulty early on. Fans should still be confident that smart players will find a way to co-exist.
It looks like James brought the circus with him too, as it’s incredibly obvious the rest of the Lakers’ offseason signings are all influenced by him. There’s a clear pattern to the madness, however; the Lakers want players who aren’t afraid of the spotlight.
Every new addition has been ridiculed the past few years and played through it. The new guys aren’t afraid of criticism, and the hope is that mindset gets them through a year with LeBron. It takes a certain type of player to survive the pressure that comes with playing with the King, and the Lakers went out and got those players.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – One Year $12 million:
Another one-year deal for KCP, and it looks like his affiliation with Klutch Sports (LeBron James’ agency) is paying dividends for the Lakers. One-year deals give flexibility for Los Angeles, and Pope could’ve demanded a longer, more lucrative deal.
$12 million isn’t an underpay by any means, but it’s good value for a player like Pope. For some reason, he’s significantly better than most people at guarding Stephen Curry, which will no doubt be useful. Although he thinks he’s a better offensive player than he actually is, Pope still gives value in being a catch-and-shoot three-point option and dependable slasher.
JaVale McGee – One Year $2.4 million, Michael Beasley – One Year $3.5 million, Rajon Rondo – One Year $9 million, Lance Stephenson – One Year $4.4 million:
These players are all grouped together because they were all signed with the same gameplan: short contracts for players with thick skin. If the deal doesn’t work out, the Lakers can easily cut ties at no risk.
They’ve added a scorer in Beasley, and another versatile playmaker in Stephenson. JaVale McGee doesn’t solve their center problem but does add athleticism and helps chemistry. Rondo is overpaid, but it’s only for one season, and he could help mentor Lonzo Ball.
Fans have to wonder how many playmakers the Lakers really need, however. Los Angeles already has LeBron and Lonzo, adding two more shaky shooters in Stephenson and Rondo seems to be a bit overboard. This wouldn’t be a problem if they had more shooters, but unfortunately, they don’t. This is also a collection of NBA headcases, so here’s hoping the King can straighten them out.
Draft:
Moritz Wagner (25th):
Wagner is deceptively mobile for his appearance but still can’t be called athletic. Although Wagner won’t be a disaster on defense, it’ll still be his biggest weakness along with rebounding. Offensively, he’s as good of a fit as the Lakers could hope for, as he shot 39.4% from three in college as a stretch-five. Wagner could find himself playing spot minutes this year.
Isaac Bonga (39th):
Bonga is an intriguing prospect, at 6″9′ with long arms. He’s a good passer already for a 19-year-old, and his shooting form doesn’t look bad. Unfortunately, Bonga isn’t an explosive athlete which limits his ceiling if he can’t develop an outside shot. He also needs to add more strength to his frame and fill out his body. In short, Bonga isn’t NBA-ready yet, but this may be a different story in a few years.
Svi Mykhailiuk (47th):
Mykhailiuk might end up playing the most minutes out of the Lakers rookies, despite being the latest pick. He’s one of the only shooters on the team and is an average athlete. Don’t expect him to create for others, however, and his short wingspan caps his defensive potential. Expect Svi to receive consistent minutes, though they might taper off due to his youth later in the season.
Lost:
Tyler Ennis:
The Lakers waived Ennis to open up roster spots for free agency. Not a big loss, as he only averaged 4 PPG and wouldn’t have played anyways.
Channing Frye:
Keeping Frye would’ve helped. He’s won a championship with LeBron James before, but it’s not anywhere close to a deal-breaker. Frye can shoot, but there’s not much else he can do at this point.
Brook Lopez:
Losing Lopez stings a bit for the Lakers. Their center rotation is now down to JaVale McGee, Ivica Zubic, and Mo Wagner. Plus, he only signed to Milwaukee on a one-year $3.4 million deal. Considering the Lakers paid guys like Stephenson, Rondo, and Beasley even more than that, you have to wonder why they didn’t re-sign Lopez. He shot 34.5% from three last year on 4.4 attempts a game, which is a respectable clip for a center.
Overall, Lopez would’ve been good for Los Angeles to keep. He certainly has his flaws like his rebounding or slow feet but is at the very least a high-quality backup. Perhaps Lopez just didn’t want to stay in L.A. Either way, it leaves a hole in the center rotation.
Julius Randle:
The Lakers had no choice but to let Randle go. When you’re given a choice between LeBron James and Julius Randle, it’s no contest. Randle understandably wanted a bigger contract, which the Lakers couldn’t afford.
Finding him minutes in a crowded front-court with Kuzma, Ingram, and James would’ve been difficult anyway. With no disrespect to Randle, this shouldn’t hurt the Lakers too much considering they replaced him with LeBron James.
Isaiah Thomas:
After signing LeBron James this was a no-brainer. We’ve seen what happens when the two play together, and it wasn’t pretty. In a perfect world, Thomas’ shotmaking is a benefit for the Lakers offense. Chemistry would derail that scenario, however, and the Lakers already have Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo at point guard now.
Luol Deng:
How the Lakers got themselves out from under the Luol Deng contract is a complicated bit of work. Deng left $7.5 million on the table in favor for a chance to play minutes elsewhere. The Lakers still have to pay him a little over $14 million this season, but stretched out the rest of the contract to $10 million for two years. Los Angeles can now offer a contract close to $40 million a year in 2019, which is key to adding another star next to LeBron James.
Conclusion
All in all, it’s been an interesting summer for the Lakers and the league overall. With stars moving left and right, the 2018 Lakers offseason largely contributed to the excitement. LeBron James signing with Los Angeles was an exciting bit of work, and fans should expect an equally thrilling NBA season ahead.