The Lakers remade their roster at the trade deadline and powered a surprising postseason run. But after running into the buzzsaw of the Denver Nuggets, they’ll need to upgrade further this offseason.
Everything was working for the Lakers until it wasn’t. A wild trade deadline helped reset the roster and sent them surging through the Play-In and into the playoffs, where they knocked off the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. But what looked like it might be a miraculous Finals run came up short when they hit the brick wall of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Getting swept hurts, especially burning another year of LeBron James’ dwindling career. But the Lakers learned what they have and what they still need, in terms of player personnel, to hopefully avoid this fate next year.
Even though it came together nearly as well as they could have hoped after the trade deadline, this Lakers’ roster could look dramatically different next season. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are both restricted free agents who likely earned big new raises with their strong postseason performances.
Mo Bamba wasn’t healthy enough to play at all in the postseason and his contract for next year is only partially guaranteed. The Lakers could part with him to make space for someone else, but they clearly were intrigued by his potential when they traded for him in February. And then there is D’Angelo Russell, Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker, all of whom came up big during the playoffs but are unrestricted free agents.
It’s possible that a player or two from the group above won’t be back next season as Rob Pelinka and company navigate the financial crunch of rebuilding the supporting cast around LeBron and Anthony Davis. But while they’ll probably at least try to bring everyone in that group back, these other three players could be left by the wayside.
Lakers who won’t be back next season: 3. Tristan Thompson
Thompson didn’t play a single minute during the regular season, not catching on with an NBA roster until the Lakers signed him on Apr. 9 as a big man insurance policy for the playoffs. He appeared in just six games for a total of 32 minutes since the postseason started.
Thompson brings veteran experience and a tight relationship with LeBron. But he clearly doesn’t have much to offer on the floor at this point in his career and it’s hard to imagine the Lakers using a roster spot on him next season.
Lakers who won’t be back next season: 2. Troy Brown Jr.
Troy Brown was actually a surprisingly steady and stabilizing presence for the Lakers during the early part of the season. Up to the trade deadline he appeared in 50 games, averaging 24.4 minutes, 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting 36.0 percent from beyond the arc. However, the trade deadline brought the Lakers serious upgrades to their wing shooting and defense and Brown has largely been out of the rotation in the playoffs.
He’s played around 10 minutes per game during the postseason but has struggled to match his regular-season success — shooting just 35.7 percent from the field and 2-of-15 from beyond the arc. Brown is an unrestricted free agent and, at 23, having already played for three teams in five seasons, he’ll likely be looking for an opportunity, some stability and the security of a multi-year deal. What he did in the fall and early winter will likely earn him another NBA contract and a chance to player more minutes, but with so many other, more established options available, it probably won’t be with the Lakers.
Lakers who won’t be back next season: 1. Malik Beasley
Beasley got off to a torrid start for the surprising Utah Jazz, averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc through the end of November. But he had already started trailing off by the time the Lakers traded for him in February and he shot under 40 percent from the field and just 35.3 percent from beyond the arc over the rest of the season.
In theory, Beasley was a 3-and-D upgrade over players like Brown but his shooting was inconsistent, as was his defense. As the Lakers moved into the playoffs, Beasley drifted out of the rotation as the on-ball creation ability of Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker and Dennis Schroder became more important, trimming down his opportunities. Beasley essentially didn’t play at all against the Nuggets and shot under 30 percent from the field and beyond the arc in the playoffs.
The Lakers hold a team option for Beasley for next season at around $16 million. You hate to let him walk for nothing, given the assets they had to send out to acquire him. But that trade also netted Jarred Vanderbilt and D’Angelo Russell so it’s not a total loss. But the biggest issue for the Lakers is they need to make room for new contracts for Russell, Reaves and Hachimura. Keeping those players are going to be the biggest offseason priorities and that likely means Beasley’s option doesn’t get picked up so they Lakers can use that money elsewhere.
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