The Los Angeles Lakers did not have the finish to the season they were hoping for.
Entering the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers expected a competitive series with the Denver Nuggets.
Instead, the Lakers were swept and entered the offseason with plenty of questions surrounding their roster.
The Lakers made plenty of moves at the trade deadline to acquire a few players on expiring contracts.
Now they must decide what they want to do with those players.
According to Spectrum SportsNet, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka clarified that he wants to keep the roster together.
"Keeping that continuity is going to be very important. We ultimately got knocked out by a team that has great continuity… that’s a high priority for us. We feel like we have a special group of players." Rob Pelinka on keeping the main core of players together. pic.twitter.com/a6xxyuV98v
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 23, 2023
This Lakers team was terrible to begin the season.
But, their mid-season trades allowed them to be one of the best teams in the league.
Pelinka was able to build a very good roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Some of the key players that are set to be free agents are Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
They are both restricted free agents so the Lakers can match any offer they may receive.
But, Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell are unrestricted free agents and are free to sign anywhere.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers try to configure their cap space.
Reaves is the one player they need to bring back but it appears he may get a massive contract elsewhere.
This is a massive offseason for the Lakers as they try to make the most of the final few years of James’ career.
NEXT: Lakers GM Comments On Recent LeBron Retirement Talk
