On the first day of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest move of the offseason by signing LeBron James, the best player on the market. They followed up that move by signing a handful of role players to complement James, agreeing to deals with Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo.
It looked like the Lakers were winning the offseason, but the Golden State Warriors made one move that demoralized everything the Lakers had done on Day 1. They agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with DeMarcus Cousins, adding yet another star player to their star-studded starting lineup.
How can the Lakers compete with the Warriors now?
Sign another big man
The Lakers picked up JaVale McGee in free agency, but they may still need another big man in the fold. Unfortunately, the big man market is very dry, as Clint Capela remains as the only big man out there, and he is a restricted free agent. The Lakers had interest in Capela, but that was before they signed McGee. They also lost out on the chance to re-sign Brook Lopez, who would have been an excellent fit alongside LeBron James due to his ability to space the floor. Some other big men on the market are Greg Monroe, Montrezl Harrell, and Alex Len.
Give up a first-round draft pick to shed Luol Deng’s contract
Luol Deng’s contract has been hurting the Lakers for the past two seasons.
Deng signed a four-year, $64 million deal in 2016 with Los Angeles, and it has poised the organization ever since. The only way to trade Deng’s large contract is if the Lakers give up a first-round pick. Teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, and Chicago Bulls may be intrigued in collecting an extra draft pick to just take on two more years of Deng’s contract.
Trade for Kawhi Leonard
Of course, after all this, the Lakers still need to land Kawhi Leonard. He would be the cherry on top to Los Angeles’ offseason. The Lakers have been in talks with the San Antonio Spurs, but they want far too much for their superstar. The Lakers have remained patient, refusing to give up a hoard of their young core for Leonard.
The most reasonable deal would be a package centered on Brandon Ingram, whether the Lakers add one more young player to that or multiple draft picks or both is up to them. Bottom line, LeBron James need another superstar to play with on the team, and Kawhi Leonard would be the best fit due to his ability to play at a high level on both ends of the floor without demanding the ball too much.
