The Los Angeles Lakers have been crowned NBA Champions.
Now it is time to look forward to next season and what the defending champs need to do this offseason to go back-to-back.
LA currently has the following players locked into contracts for next season:
- LeBron James
- Anthony Davis (reportedly planning to resign with Lakers)
- Danny Green
- Kyle Kuzma
- Alex Caruso
- Talen Horton-Tucker
The Lakers also have six players with player-options or partial guarantees:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Player-Option)
- Avery Bradley (Player-Option)
- JaVale McGee (Player-Option)
- Quinn Cook (Partial Guarantee)
- Rajon Rondo (Player-Option)
After solid playoff performances in the bubble, it is widely assumed KCP and Rondo will sign elsewhere for larger contracts.
BREAKING: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will decline his player option, and enter free agency. The Hawks are interested if he leaves Los Angeles. (via @ShamsCharania)
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 15, 2020
On the flip side, Bradley and McGee will most likely opt-in after uninspiring bubble performances.
The Lakers will be returning most of the core pieces from last seasons team.
That team won the title, but there were some weak points that the Lakers would do well to fill this offseason.
The Lakers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league last season and often lacked a 3rd scoring option behind James and Davis.
With Rondo and Dwight Howard both potentially leaving, the Lakers will also need to find a backup ball-handler and center to fill the voids left by the veterans.
Let’s take a look at 3 players the Lakers could sign on veteran-minimum contracts to bolster their bench.
1. Kent Bazemore
Kent Bazemore would fill two voids for the Lakers – 3-point shooting and perimeter defense.
The 30-year old wing is a career 35% shooter from beyond the arc.
After a mid-season trade to Sacramento, he shot 38% from 3 in 25 games.
Bazemore may not be the most consistent shooter on the open market, but he makes up for that with his defense.
He averages 1 steal and 0.5 blocks per game for his career while consistently posting positive defensive box plus/minus numbers.
His 7′ wingspan allows him to defend guards and small forwards.
Having a wing-defender like Bazemore would be beneficial to the Lakers if they end up playing the Clippers or Nuggets in the playoffs.
With James and Davis attracting attention from opposing defenses, Bazemore should receive more open looks on the perimeter.
If Bazemore wants more than the minimum, the Lakers could also look at Courtney Lee or Kyle Korver.
Both are better shooters than Bazemore but are lacking on the defensive end.
2. Demarcus Cousins
The backup big signing is a toss-up between Cousins and Marc Gasol.
With reports Gasol may be going back overseas and the relationship Cousins has with Davis, we will lean towards Boogie.
I know some others have tweeted this already, but four different sources on both sides of Atlantic have told me that earlier reports of Marc Gasol returning to play for Barcelona are premature, citing chances he has still to continue in the NBA.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) October 1, 2020
If Cousins can return from injury and reach even 70% of the level he was at, it would be a perfect signing for the Lakers.
Demarcus was one of the premier big men in the NBA.
He was able to distribute from the high post and score from all three levels on offense.
His last season with the Pelicans before getting injured saw him post averages of 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG on 47% shooting from the field and 35% shooting from 3.
Cousins’ ability to stretch the floor would keep things from getting too cramped on offense when Davis is not playing the 5.
His skills as a passer would also take some of the offensive burden off of James.
In a best-case scenario, he would provide a 3rd scoring option for the Lakers.
Boogie is an above-average defender in the paint and would not cause a major drop-off on defense when Davis heads to the bench.
The Lakers tried this last year and it didn’t work out.
But with Cousins having extra time to recover because of the pandemic, it might be worth another shot.
If Gasol decides to stay in the NBA, he would provide much of the same.
His shooting ability from all three levels would help space the offense while his defense would ensure things don’t fall apart when Davis sits.
3. D.J. Augustin
The last player the Lakers should look at signing is D.J. Augustine.
The 32-year old journeyman has played some of his best basketball the past 4 seasons in Orlando.
D.J. has shot 39% from 3 the four years with Orlando – including two years at 42%.
He has proven he can be a marksman from deep, who would pair well next to the Lakers two superstars.
Augustin also averages 4 APG for his career.
While he conceded some lead guard duties to Markelle Fultz this past season, he had been the floor general for Orlando when on the court.
He would provide playmaking off the bench and help run the offense when LeBron sits.
Augustin’s defense is not great, but the Lakers can hide him while using Alex Caruso, Danny Green, and Avery Bradley on more talented guards.
NEXT: Report: Hawks Will Try To Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope