Now that the NBA offseason is winding down, people are judging which teams made the best moves during the summer months.
According to Stephen A. Smith, the Los Angeles Lakers put in the most work and had the most impressive offseason.
But they have been heading in the right direction for a while, Smith said on ESPN.
“To me, it’s not just about the offseason…it’s about what the Lakers have done since the trading deadline,” Smith said on Monday.
He said that GM Rob Pelinka has been hard at work since last February to get the team back on track – and he has gotten results that could help them far into the future.
Have the Lakers had the best offseason in the NBA? 🤔 @stephenasmith thinks so 👀 pic.twitter.com/lcVDurfHji
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 18, 2023
Smith is excited by the “continuity” that Pelinka has established.
The team re-signed Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimua, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Keeping those players, alongside LeBron James and other returning stars, mean that the Lakers didn’t have to totally re-do their roster but just add to it.
Smith knows that other squads, like the Phoenix Suns, can be real threats since they added multiple new players, such as Bradley Beal
But he still thinks that LA could end up being true competitors in 2023-24.
“I think the Lakers got a chance,” he concluded.
Pelinka really has been doing a lot since the start of 2023 and the turnaround LA experienced in the second half of last season was impressive.
It now has fans wanting a lot more in 2023-24.
They want more success, more postseason victories, and more from the young players on the roster.
The only thing Lakers fans don’t want more of are injuries.
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