After five years of misery and failure, the Los Angeles Lakers finally did it. They landed the best player on the market in LeBron James to join the young corps of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart.
The Lakers did not stop there. Moments after the LeBron news, they re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a one-year, $12 million deal. Afterward, they struck a deal with Lance Stephenson, who has been one of LeBron’s biggest rivals for years. Finally, they shockingly added JaVale McGee to a one-year deal as well. But, the Lakers may not be done yet.
Lakers still pursuing a deal with San Antonio
The Lakers are still pursuing a blockbuster deal with the San Antonio Spurs for their disgruntled superstar Kawhi Leonard. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Leonard is still determined to force his way to Los Angeles. He still wants to be a Laker.
Stephen A. Smith also added that Leonard may sit out another season if he doesn’t get traded to the Lakers, essentially tanking his trade value. The Spurs have told the Lakers that they do not want Ball in any deals. Also, the Spurs asked for three first-round picks and two draft picks from the Philadelphia 76ers, another team interested in Leonard.
The Spurs’ asking price for Leonard seems to be very high, but the Lakers believe they have a lot of leverage since they acquired LeBron and Leonard has a strong desire to play in Los Angeles.
Perhaps the Lakers could create a package around Ingram by adding another young player like Josh Hart and multiple picks.
Lakers targeting other key free agents
Aside from Leonard, the Lakers still have cap space to add another max player. DeMarcus Cousins has been a prime target ever since they missed out on Paul George. The Lakers have talked to Cousins and could give the big man a short-term deal as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
In addition to Cousins, the Lakers are also meeting unrestricted free agent Tyreke Evans on Monday, as well as their own restricted free agent Julius Randle. The Lakers are hoping to get a deal done with Randle on Monday afternoon. However, if Randle wants a max deal, they will likely pass on re-signing him.
The Lakers have huge plans as they construct a roster around their newly-acquired superstar, LeBron James.
It’s going to be tough for them to ultimately convince San Antonio to trade Kawhi Leonard, and it may be difficult to convince Cousins to sign a one-year deal just under the max. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka still have a lot of work to do, but they are certainly making a lot of noise this summer.
