Los Angeles Lakers have been very successful this offseason. They have made sure that they got a balanced side for the next season. Moreover, the 17-time champions do not want to face the same problems they did at the beginning of the previous season. The LA side did not have any balance but a lot of injury concerns. But before the trade deadline last season, they found balance. In the current offseason, the main goal of the front office was to keep the core together. Three essential players – Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell were heading toward free agency.
Later, the Lakers successfully retained them. However, at present, the front office is looking for a big man as a center who can take some load off Anthony Davis. They signed a three-year extension with AD for $186 million. But they are chalking out a plan to keep him healthy for as long as possible. However, the question is if the Lakers bring another superstar to their roster. For instance, James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers is looking for a change as in another team.
Can James Harden Join The LA Side?
Moreover, James Harden has been looking at many options for a long time. Like James Harden was thinking about the LA Clippers. But they missed out on a deal for the former MVP. Hence, the other option might be the Los Angeles Lakers. James Harden can be a great point guard option for the Lakers. Moreover, he is a great scorer and playmaker. The former Houston Rockets star can be a viable option for the LA side. He can bring more star power with LeBron James is in his twilight age and Anthony Davis is very injury prone. But Harden can restore the balance in their absence as well as play great alongside them. Moreover, James Harden just wants to leave the 76ers because he can’t stand Daryl Morey anymore.
However, they had the superstar trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook last season. But this trio did not help the LA franchise win any title. Instead, before Westbrook wore the purple and gold uniform, the Lakers won the 2019-20 season with the James-Davis duo. Hence, it proved that balance is more important than having many superstars on the roster. That’s what the front office tried to accomplish in the midseason. They traded Westbrook and got quality players like D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt before the February trade deadline. It sure worked great for the Lakers. They reached the Western Conference Finals when there was a point it seemed impossible to make the postseason even.
LA Happy To Retain Young Promising Talents
The 17-time champions signed a four-year contract worth $56 million with Austin Reaves. Moreover, Hillbilly Kobe became the third most important player of the franchise in his second NBA season after James and Davis. The Lakers retained the Gonzaga product, Rui Hachimura, for a three-year contract worth $51 million.
It is a pretty good deal, but they wanted to ensure their reserve bench stayed strong. After retaining Reaves and Hachimura, Rob Pelinka and Co. finally decided to extend the contract of D’Angelo Russell. They signed a two-year deal with Russell for 37 million dollars with a player option in his second year. Despite D’Lo disappointing the Lakers Nation, he will still be part of the roster.