The Los Angeles Lakers are certainly better than last year, although that isn’t saying too much. The 2021-22 NBA season was an utter disaster in terms of their lofty expectations, as they fell to only 33-49 despite having one of the most impressive trios of all time featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Their championship aspirations were over as soon as the All-Star break arrived because they lacked defensive grit, and Russell Westbrook was not the answer for them at point guard.
Finally, the Lakers found a way to move Russell Westbrook and somehow come close to a .500 record with new pieces such as D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt playing important roles after the trade deadline. Unfortunately, LeBron James’ intense run to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the all-time scoring record has taken a toll on The King as he is currently injured for at least another few weeks.
The Lakers are 31-34 right now, and even if they can string together some wins and reach a playoff (of play-in spot), it is unlikely the Lakers will be able to overcome the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers who are all better teams. Therefore, from a Lakers’ point of view, this season could be a wrap once again.
Luckily, the Lakers might have a chance to correct all the past seasons’ wrongs and create an amazing starting lineup that can be a superteam. Realistically, Los Angeles can get busy to create one of the most impressively complete starting lineups in modern NBA history next year. Their main targets will be former NBA champions Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green. If the Lakers play their cards right, here is how they can add two reputable names with a combined five championships to their core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Lakers Salary Cap Situation In The 2023-24 NBA Season
The Los Angeles Lakers have the 6th highest payroll in the league at over $174 million owed to their players. Obviously, the bulk of the money is tied up in their dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron and Davis are untouchables and will be the guiding force for the team. Luckily for the Lakers, only Mo Bamba, Jarred Vanderbilt, Davon Reed, and Max Christie will be hitting cap space in 2024 alongside the two stars. That means the Lakers can pick and choose which players they will keep in 2024, including the likes of Lonnie Walker and Dennis Schroder, who will be priority players.
With a ton of money off the book, the Lakers can afford to attract two high-profile stars in the form of Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green. But even if they have the money to pull off two major moves, it will require Rob Peinka to be clever with his decision-making, and it could work out something like this.
Draymond Green Joins LeBron James And Anthony Davis
Credit: Fadeaway World
As things stand, it will be very tough for the Lakers to add two high-profile players to their roster in financial terms. But a couple of factors could make this possible. To start, the cap might rise to $134 million next year, meaning the Los Angeles Lakers can legitimately add Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green to their roster that already features LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That means they will have around $42 million in space to make two spectacular signings. Kyrie Irving will want a max contract, but for the sake of joining the Lakers and having Draymond by his side, he will have to take a pay cut.
Draymond Green will first need to take a pay cut and accept he is not an All-Star player in terms of impact or production anymore. His impact will be there defensively, but a pay cut will be necessary because he is almost irrelevant at scoring the ball. It is also important to look at the Golden State Warriors side of things as well because they re-signed Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins to extensions. Poole signed a 4-year, $123 million extension, while Wiggins received a 4-year, $109 million extension. With those moves, the Warriors have tied down their priority players, and Draymond could be the odd man out, especially after the drama earlier in the season when he punched out Jordan Poole.
Green can take a pay cut and accept a 2-3 year deal with the Lakers. It seems that Draymond is a player the Lakers want because Anthony Davis, who is always a direct extension of LeBron James, would be up for this partnership. At the same time, Green is close friends with LeBron and will realize that they would be a great partnership together in terms of two-way play and championship experience. With a pay cut taken, the Lakers can create space for Draymond Green to accept a reasonable pay cut to help go for his 5th NBA championship.
Lakers Land Kyrie Irving In A Sign-And-Trade Blockbuster
Credit: Fadeaway World
The Lakers could be looking forward to happier times since they have arguably one of the best two-way duos in the league in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. No doubt, Los Angeles would be even better if Kyrie Irving starts alongside James and Davis. Kyrie, despite his drama, is a tremendous offensive player. He is posting 27.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.6 APG on 49.2% FG, 38.1% 3-PT FG, and 89.1% FT.
Now a member of the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers missed out on a chance to acquire Kyrie this season. But Kyrie’s comments about his future with Dallas have raised eyebrows, which means there is hope for the Lakers to unite Kyrie and LeBron together. Remember, Kyrie and LeBron proved to be devastating to the Golden State Warriors in 2016 as they defeated the sharpshooting team in seven hard-fought games. Kyrie will be a free agent next season, and if he does not want to re-sign with Dallas, he can negotiate with the Lakers.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Kyrie Irving is not a great fit with Luka Doncic. Since joining the Mavericks, Kyrie has gone 4-5 over 9 games. His numbers have been solid with Dallas (27.0 PPG, 6.8 APG on 52.1% FG, 42.0% 3-PT FG, and 92.7% FT. Irving is a phenomenal offensive player who can put up numbers, but being a primary ball-handler is not exactly what Luka Doncic needs. Luka excels at an elite level when he completely controls the ball, similar to James Harden with the Houston Rockets back in the day or LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers currently.
Irving might realize that staying in Dallas is not best for his championship aspirations, even if they offer him a max contract. The Lakers will be willing to offer Kyrie a max contract but will first have to negotiate a deal with the Mavericks. This is the only way Kyrie can suit up in the Purple and Gold. A potential trade package would include Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimura, and Mo Bamba with potentially the 2029 first-round pick.
Dallas might be forced to accept this deal because Irving would otherwise leave for free. Superstar players are in charge because they can let the team know if they will sign long-term, and Dallas might have no choice but to send him to Los Angeles.
Starting Lineup For The 2023-24 Season: A Championship Core For The Making
Starting Lineup: Kyrie Irving, Lonnie Walker IV, LeBron James, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis
With a solid Big Four built, the Lakers are right back in the mix to win it all, realistically. Each one of the stars has won a championship, and LeBron James is still the best leader in the NBA and will continue to be at age 39. Seeing how The King is playing, he will very likely continue to dominate the scoring charts and impact the game with his playmaking at a superstar level.
Anthony Davis has looked tremendous during the 2022-23 preseason and will only continue to feel better as he gains with his body and motivation to dominate the court. Other than Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis has the claim to being the most talented big man in the NBA. No player can shoot, defend, block shots, and come up with scoring moves with athleticism like Davis can. Remember, he is a guard in a center’s body.
Kyrie Irving is still one of the best scorers from the point guard position and will be extra motivated to team up with his older brother, LeBron James, again. LeBron and Kyrie dominated the scoring charts together during their 2016 Finals run and there is no doubt The King brings out the best in the polarizing guard. Kyrie is also a floor-spacer, something LeBron and Davis both need. Lastly, even at his age, Draymond Green is an impact player. He will be even less of an offensive threat in 2024 than he already is, but he will make up for it with an elite defense, basketball IQ, and championship experience. Green is a unique player who is invaluable for championship teams, and he can assume that position with the Lakers in 2024.
Most importantly, both Irving and Green are coming off extremely polarizing seasons with the way they have handled their off-court antics. Irving basically killed the Brooklyn Nets’ chances last year when he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Green won an NBA championship, which is commendable, but he washed away any love he might have gained by punching his own teammate in practice. The Golden State Warriors clearly value Jordan Poole more, and that will mean Draymond is expendable. The extensions offered to both Poole and Wiggins cast further doubt that the franchise wants to retain Green for the long term.
It is very possible that Lonnie Walker IV returns to the starting lineup on a mid-level deal because he competes on defense and can also hit outside shots at a decent level (37.1% 3-PT FG) based on this season’s numbers. The Lakers will need athleticism on the wing, and Walker can bring that as the primary perimeter defender since Kyrie and James will be limited in that regard.
By acquiring two Hall of Fame players and pairing them with LeBron and Davis, the Lakers are right back in the mix. Los Angeles will also be able to fill out the rest of the roster on veteran contracts, such as what they did with Dennis Schroder this season ($2,641,682). If Los Angeles can bring back Schroder, he is a very capable playmaker and scorer off the bench. Los Angeles can also focus on veterans, and other free agents who would want to win a ring, with the likes of Otto Porter Jr, Joe Harris, Gary Harris, Doug McDermott, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Grayson Allen, and Monte Morris are all some role players who could accept mid-level contracts or veteran minimums.
In a nutshell, both Irving and Green will want to prove to the rest of the league that they are war-ready, and Los Angeles can become the favorites to come out of the Western Conference in 2024 with their clever roster maneuvering. Other than the Phoenix Suns, no team can bring this type of star power to the court, meaning a Western Conference Finals berth is almost guaranteed with these moves.
Source: fadeawayworld
