Five Key Offseason Questions: Los Angeles Lakers

While they may not have claimed the title of the NBA’s most dysfunctional big-market franchise in 2018/19, the Lakers certainly gave the Knicks a run for their money. Despite LeBron James‘ arrival in Los Angeles, the club missed out on a playoff berth, and midseason Anthony Davis trade rumors left virtually everyone on the roster unhappy.

The end of the regular season could, in theory, have provided a quiet period for the Lakers to regroup and stay out of the spotlight. Instead, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson shocked the basketball world by abruptly resigning before the club’s final home game; a head coaching search for Luke Walton‘s replacement dragged on and ended with the Lakers hiring their apparent third choice; and a bombshell ESPN report portrayed Lakers ownership and management in a particularly unflattering light.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. Who will the Lakers target on the free agent market?

When the Lakers decided to roll over the rest of their cap room last year after signing James, they presumably had visions of using that room to land a superstar like Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard in 2019. That sort of major splash seems less likely at this point.

Based on reports that have surfaced over the course of the year, neither Durant nor Leonard seems overly enthusiastic about the idea of teaming up with James in L.A. In fact, both players have been linked more frequently to the Clippers than the Lakers, with the Knicks and Nets also viewed as threats, as well as the Warriors (for Durant) and Raptors (for Leonard).

If the Lakers don’t believe they have a serious shot at either of those top free agents, they’ll likely turn to the next tier, though that group presents its own set of challenges. Los Angeles native Klay Thompson would be a great fit for the Lakers, for instance, but he appears unlikely to leave the Warriors. Kyrie Irving has won a title with LeBron in the past, but – even after he expressed some regret about pushing to get out from under James’ shadow in Cleveland – the idea that he’d reunite with him two years later seems like a long shot.

Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler would make sense for L.A., but they’re each 29 years old, so offering either of them a four-year, maximum-salary contract would be a risk. Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton are possible targets, but they don’t necessarily possess the kind of star power the Lakers are seeking.

While the Lakers have plenty of potential options, they don’t appear to have the inside track on a superstar free agent like they did last year when they were cited as a frontrunner for LeBron for months leading up to July 1.

2. Do the Lakers still have a legit shot to acquire Anthony Davis?

Of course, the star linked most often to the Lakers this year is Davis, who won’t be a free agent this summer. If they want to land him during the 2019 offseason, the Lakers will have to do so via trade.

Based on the reported offers the Pelicans turned down in February, Los Angeles’ odds of trading for Davis don’t look great. The Lakers allegedly put most of their young core on the table, along with multiple draft picks, but the Pels didn’t budge, preferring to wait until the offseason when the Celtics and other teams might be able to offer more favorable packages.

The good news for the Lakers? General manager Dell Demps is no longer running the show in New Orleans, and new Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin may be more amenable to making a deal. The bad news? It’s not clear if the Pels will be willing to deal with the Lakers at all. There have been whispers that New Orleans’ ownership group was unhappy about the way Davis’ camp was seemingly trying to steer the big man to the Lakers before the deadline, and essentially doesn’t want to reward those efforts.

I have a hard time believing the Pelicans would be petty enough to trade Davis somewhere else if the Lakers make the best offer, but it remains to be seen whether L.A.’s package will be strong enough. Securing the No. 4 pick in the draft improved the team’s collection of assets, but Brandon Ingram‘s blood clot issues – even if they’re not believed to be career-threatening – have hurt his trade value. A healthy Ingram could potentially have headlined a package. Now, the Lakers may have to hope that the Pelicans are enamored with a player like Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, or Darius Garland (a potential No. 4 overall pick).

It’s not out of the question that Davis finds his way to the Lakers, but with the Celtics, Knicks, Clippers, Nets, and other teams potentially involved in the bidding as well, it’s hard to consider them the odds-on favorites. Especially since there’s no guarantee Griffin even pulls the trigger on a deal this summer.

3. How desperate will the Lakers get if they miss out on their primary targets?

It was fair to question the fit of the players the Lakers signed with their leftover cap room last summer – including Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee, and Lance Stephenson – but the team’s approach to free agency was theoretically the right one. All those players inked one-year contracts, ensuring that the club would once again have cap room to spend a year later.

If the Lakers are unable to land Davis or a top free agent at the start of this offseason, it might make sense in theory to take that same approach again this year, filling out their roster with one-year signings and avoiding any ill-advised long-term investments.

In reality though, the Lakers probably can’t afford not to go all-in for a second straight offseason after acquiring LeBron. He’ll turn 35 years old in December and there’s no telling how many All-NBA caliber seasons he has left in him. Given their star player’s timeline, the Lakers will probably have to be more aggressive than they’d like this summer to ensure they get James help in some form.

With more than $30MM in cap room available, the Lakers could invest heavily in a lower-level free agent or two. But the team is only three years removed from the summer of Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. Even with a new management group in place, the Lakers will be wary of making a major commitment to any non-star on the free agent market after those disasters.

The club might be able to talk itself into a trade, however. Bradley Beal would be an ideal target, though it’s not clear if the Wizards will put him on the trade block. If the Lakers get more desperate, a veteran point guard like Kyle Lowry or LeBron’s good friend Chris Paul could be options. So could Los Angeles natives Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan if they’re available.

All of those players have big salaries that the Lakers could use their cap room to absorb, so they could provide their trade partners with some level of cap relief in addition to young players and/or draft picks. Obviously, some of those trade scenarios are less likely than others, but the Lakers will need to do something big this summer, so it’s worth preparing for them to explore unexpected avenues if the expected ones aren’t fruitful.

4. Can the Lakers turn around the perception of their ownership and management?

Although Baxter Holmes’ ESPN report on the Lakers’ dysfunctional leadership focused extensively on Johnson, the story didn’t exactly make owner Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka, or the rest of the franchise look good either.

Agents and executives around the league have griped about dealing with Pelinka, and many NBA observers believe he was hired by the Lakers more for his ties to the franchise (as Kobe Bryant‘s longtime agent) than for his qualifications. There are also concerns within the front office about the way he makes personnel decisions without consulting or informing executives who would typically be kept in the loop.

Even if those perceived shortcomings are legit, Pelinka is capable of learning from his mistakes, and draft picks like Kuzma and Josh Hart show that this front office can identify under-the-radar talent. Still, it’s probably wishful thinking to assume that some minor tweaks to the team’s decision-making process and a couple successful offseason acquisitions will turn things around entirely.

The Lakers’ culture may not see positive, lasting change until Buss stops leaning on her friends and longtime colleagues to run the show and hands the reins to an experienced executive from outside the organization.

5. Was Frank Vogel the right choice to coach the team?

We don’t know exactly what went on behind the scenes during the Lakers’ head coaching search, but the details that surfaced after Walton’s dismissal didn’t paint a picture of a strong, focused process.

Seven Lakers executives reportedly sat in on interviews with their top head coaching targets, which isn’t exactly conducive to reaching a unanimous consensus on each candidate. Perhaps it was indecision among that group of execs that led to top targets like Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue getting away — Williams accepted the Suns’ job, while negotiations with Lue ultimately fell through due to what he perceived to be a lowball offer.

The search eventually led the Lakers to Vogel, who agreed to a three-year contract and will have Jason Kidd on his staff. Kidd interviewed for the head coaching position and is now viewed as a possible in-house replacement for Vogel if things go sideways.

Vogel and the Lakers will say all the right things leading up to the 2019/20 season, but Vogel will find himself in a tough position. As we saw at February’s trade deadline when two-thirds of the Lakers were mentioned in Davis-related trade rumors, players are aware of what’s being reported in the media and the implications of those stories.

Those players will recognize that Vogel’s three-year deal – while other new head coaches this spring have gotten four or five years – and Kidd’s presence don’t suggest that the Lakers necessarily view Vogel as someone who will be coaching this team for the next 10 years. He’ll be under pressure to win over the team early and get out to a strong start in his first year in L.A.

Check out the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason salary cap outlook right here.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.