3 things Lakers need after Luka Doncic trade to win NBA titles
Los Angeles Lakers have taken the first step towards their post LeBron James era by trading for Luka Doncic but need more.
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Lakers have to build perfect team around Luka Doncic to win NBA titles
Luka Doncic is now a part of the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade that brought him to the West coast made jaws drop across the world, but now, the franchise has to figure out how to move forward as they still have LeBron James on the roster who would demand a solid NBA title run before he retires.
That drive to compete for NBA titles at age 40 saw the superstar call out the front office for reinforcements. Even Anthony Davis suggested that he needed a big man to take over the 5 spot, so that he can dominate at the 4.
That opinion probably saw him skip states as the organization clearly showed that they are taking decisions based on what is best for their foreseeable future. That future has the Slovenian superstar as the next great global Lakers icon.
However, just being able to down triple doubles now and then will not be enough. The Los Angeles Lakers need to build an NBA title contending team around him, and that starts with paying some heed to what their former superstar and their team leader have been saying all this while.
Lakers need a star big man
All the time when Anthony Davis asked for a star center, the Lakers kept adding unproven centers. The franchise is not flush with draft picks or the cap space to tempt a major superstar. But now that Davis has move to Dallas, that need for a dominant center just became even more glaring.
The Los Angeles Lakers currently have four centers on their roster. The two Christian‘s, Koloko and Wood, along with Jaxson Hayes and Trey Jamison. Koloko and Jamison are on two-way contracts, whereas the other two are free agents after this season.
The team needs a major upgrade at that position and the most obvious answer is Walker Kessler. The Utah Jazz big man has been rumored to be on the Lakers radar for quite some time. However, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge is as tough a negotiator as one can get.
He won’t let go of his young star for anything less than at least two first round picks and an expiring contract. The Jazz are in rebuilding mode and Ainge is stock piling draft picks of high value. But the Los Angeles Lakers do not have that much to give, unless they can get other teams to help them.
The Utah Jazz did help them to land Doncic, but that does not mean Ainge will make it easy. If anything, Rob Pelinka has to get creative and land Kessler if the Lakers are to avoid losing in the first round of the playoffs again.
Bring in a pure shooter to complement Luka Doncic
At the start of this season, the Los Angeles Lakers had a lot of guards on their roster. But what they really need is a pure shooter who can down shots from distance efficiently. Someone like Luka Doncic‘s former teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. would have been a great addition.
But Hardaway is an important piece on the resurgent Detroit Pistons, and it is unlikely that they would let him leave. Another option for the Lakers is to make a run for Bruce Brown Jr. He is on the last year of his contract and with the Toronto Raptors looking for possible destinations, could ask the Lakers for one of their other guards.
Either way, they need a pure perimeter shooter for Doncic to kick the ball out to. The 25-year-old superstar is a bonafide playmaker and he needs complementary players around him. The Lakers either need to develop Dalton Knecht quickly or trade for another player.
Get rid of dead wood
The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling with a lot of dead wood on their roster. Be it centers, 3 and D wings or guards, they have a lot of players they do not need. That means, their team slots are clogged, and cap space is also limited.
Rob Pelinka needs to sit down with head coach JJ Redick and figure out how they want to construct their team for both this year and the future. Most of the current roster is due to the needs of past coaches. Now, Redick has to take the team forward and the best way is to design the team to his needs.
Luka Doncic is similar in many ways to LeBron James. But he does not threaten players down the court the same way his now 40-year-old teammate does. Therefore, wings who can drive to the rim are a priority. They also need to get younger players in who can stay healthy.
Losing Max Christie was a major blow, but they can look at other young players in the league if they are planning on making this team a contender for the next decade. They have already made the first move for their post LeBron James era. But the rest has to follow quickly if Doncic has to make them competitive.
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Joseph Varghese
(2400 Articles Published)