NBA post-free agency power rankings

9. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are an unfinished project that likely won’t be complete until at least the summer of 2019. That doesn’t mean their moves to this point can’t be ridiculed.

ESPN reported shortly after Los Angeles filled out its roster around LeBron James that the signings — Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee — were part of a plan formulated by James and Magic Johnson to ease James into the back nine of his career. In theory, it could work — James attracts so much attention that a move off ball, with Rondo and Stephenson in playmaking roles, would require more aggressive defense than James running a high pick and roll each time down the floor, as was the status quo in Miami and Cleveland.

McGee at his minimum is perfectly reasonable, considering James has turned rim-rolling bigs like Chris Andersen and Timofey Mosgov into rich men in the past. They’ll produce some fun plays together for the Lakers this year, provided McGee can stay on the floor.

The younger guys on the roster actually fit well with James, which is what makes the possibility of a deal for Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler or unhappy star X tough to swallow. The best versions of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart each support James’ preferred style of play up to this point quite well. They all project to be above-average shooters, and each is able to defend multiple positions.

Granted, a lineup including one or two of those players alongside James and Leonard would be more likely to win a championship, and James’ career is finally nearing completion. The time to wait is in the past.

Landing James is enough to vault the Lakers into top-ten status, but becoming a real contender will be more difficult.