The Athletic gives Lakers’ offseason a B+ grade
The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the busiest offseasons of any team this summer in what was a major overhaul of the roster.
Los Angeles had over 10 free agents entering the market this summer, but the number of open roster spots increased when L.A. traded for Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers’ biggest moves financially were re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth over $30 million and giving the full taxpayer MLE to Kendrick Nunn.
All of the other signings were minimum deals for one year. They went to Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and DeAndre Jordan.
Zach Harper of The Athletic gave the Lakers a B-plus for all of the moves in the series of team grades Harper has been doing for each NBA team. Here is what Harper said on if the Lakers improved from last year’s squad:
“The Lakers definitely got better from a talent standpoint, even though they lost a lot with their wing core. Especially after last season, the addition of Westbrook into the group provides a lot of relief. Sure, it might not fit together perfectly, and the issue of spacing will be there, but having three superstars affords the Lakers something we saw with Brooklyn a year ago. With three superstars on the roster, you can lose one guy and be fine. You can lose two guys and keep your head above water. Last season, the Lakers lost one guy and managed to keep things good enough — until they lost the other star. With the way Westbrook played for Washington a year ago, add that guy into the Lakers mix, and we don’t see them dip all the way down to the Play-In Tournament. They likely survive things and create an easier path for the playoffs, and maybe Davis doesn’t get hurt trying to do too much at that point. Nothing happens in a vacuum. That third-star balance alone makes the Lakers better than they were last season. We just have to see how it fits and if that fit puts them in the driver’s seat for the NBA title.”
