The LA Lakers will be a better team, but they're still a step behind the rest of their counterparts.
The latest ESPN summer forecast has projected them at the bottom of the Western heap despite getting eight more wins-and it sounds reasonable. The rest of the West has made improvements and it's hard to contend that the Lakers would be better than the Phoenix Suns or the Sacramento Kings-the other two teams at the bottom.
The Suns and Kings have something that the Lakers doesn't--an established veteran star. Eric Bledsoe is not an All-Star yet and ultimately, D'Angelo Russell could become a better player, but he is far better than anyone on the Lakers roster. DeMarcus Cousins has already been hailed by their GM as the "most dominant player in the world." Tough for the Lakers to beat that.
This is the reason why this early, there are already predictions on who the Lakers could target in the 2017 free agency derby. Russell Westbrook is a given and the Lakers' brass is probably not trading for him in the offhand chance that he would like to return to the City of Angels. But another name out of left field has emerged.
According to Evan Massey of the Inquisitr, Derrick Rose, the former MVP from the Chicago Bulls and now with the New York Knicks, may be bound for yet another big city.
Massey does consider Westbrook, but he is probably the biggest free agent on the market (unless LeBron or even Durant shun their playoff options and become free agents again). Rose is a cheaper and more available option.
But the Lakers have D'Angelo Russell, one of the more promising point guards of the future, not to mention Jordan Clarkson?
Coach Luke Walton is known for small ball lineups and he also wants to push his young guns. The presence of Rose could push Russell to perform in order to keep his starting nod, but he could also play shooting guard since he can still score.
It would not be difficult for Walton to fit Rose in, not to mention Luol Deng, a former teammate and familiar face will be there to play with him. The only question is whether the Lakers should prioritize filling other positions.
Point guard is one of the few positions where the Lakers have talent. By the end of the 2017 season, Clarkson has finished three seasons and Russell has two. They would not be greenhorns anymore.
Still, Rose in LA is not a bad proposition. Perhaps it's the new perspective of the Lakers that they are not a "big fish" destination anymore.