The LA Lakers have a young nucleus they have formed over the last three year and this will be the foundation for their future. But how far can they go?
Building a team through the draft takes time as even the OKC Thunder, who had three consecutive draft picks that eventually became game changers in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden still had to wait.
The Lakers core have yet to show talent at that level but it could also be attributed to bad coaching by Byron Scott, who was eventually fired. There is also the underlying suspicion that the team is tanking.
Just how much potential do Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have? The Lakers don't seem to have the patience to wait and find out as Lakers Nation stated.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was quoted as saying that "it could take ten or fifteen years to rebuild through the draft. " LN writer Hannah Kulik was unsure of whether it was a literal impression of Kupchak or his way to temper expectations of the fans. Most of them are looking at a quick turnaround if the Lakers draft Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram and that may be the Lakers GM's way to bring the fans back to earth.
Apparently, there is a hidden motivation for Kupchak, as Kulik recounts. "This much is clear: Kupchak and Buss will lose their jobs in the next two years if they don't turn the ship around. That likely means they will look to make a key trade using their only asset as bait: The young players on the roster."
The Lakers are definitely joining the free agency derby and the trend of recent years is that big names attract other big names. The Lakers currently has none. Also, the roster has serious roles which they should address.
"This summer, It is imperative that the Lakers add legitimate starters at center, small forward, and, in the minds of many, point guard," Kulik concluded. The idea is that both D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson are more shooting guards than pure point and are redundant at the very least. In the same boat, Julius Randle and Larry Nance, Jr are both power forwards and if they draft Ben Simmons, he might also be a four as his shooting is very limited.
A scenario proposed in Real GM forum has the Lakers sending Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams in exchange for Derrick Rose. Rose was considered untradeable but he is now an expiring contract and actually played well towards the end of the season. If he gets a career revival in LA, especially since it's a contract year, the Lakers win big on this trade. For the Bulls, they've always wanted to get younger and be free from Rose to hand the team over to Jimmy Butler.
A target of every team, DeMarcus Cousins has always been on the radar for the Lakers and perhaps half the league. In a previous rumor from the Boston Herald, the asking price was D'Angelo Russell (back then, was only the no.2 pick) and Julius Randle. The Lakers balked on that demand but on taking a chance that Cousins could work well with new coach Luke Walton, the potential not just on the basketball court but also on the box office (Boogie with the Lakers!) could get off the charts.
For small forward, the Lakers are counting on free agency. But if they decide to trade, Jimmy Butler, who could play the three is on top of the list (provided they don't make the aforementioned Rose trade). Russell or Clarkson would be the centerpiece and the Bulls would ask for future draft picks-or even the 2016 pick if the Lakers keep in the top 2. Is that too much for Butler?
Another long shot trade is for Paul George, who is an LA native. PG13 was a target when he hit restricted free agency but Larry Bird virtually locked away his prized player. The Celtics legend is unlikely to trade his star to the Lakers under any circumstance.