Although the Los Angeles Lakers managed to make a splash with the Anthony Davis trade, the onus is still on the front office to put together a solid roster this offseason.
Considering how strapped for cash the Lakers are at this point, assembling a strong supporting cast outside of Davis and LeBron James could prove to be a bit of a challenge.
As for Bobby Portis, he is set to test the waters of free agency after finishing the 2018-19 NBA season with the Washington Wizards. It seems there will be no shortage of interest in his services this offseason.
According to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, the Lakers are among the notable teams interested in signing Portis:
Portis is expected to draw interest from the Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Knicks among others, NBC Sports Washington has learned.
Los Angeles is undoubtedly looking to sign players that can give them plenty of bang for their buck. As a result, it appears they have an idea of which players can provide them with a bargain in the $10 million-plus range, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN:
They also have begun discussing players expected to fetch somewhere in that $10 million-plus range, sources say.
The interest in Portis is certainly understandable after coming off a career-year in which he averaged 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. At just 24-years-old, he still has plenty of time to develop into a legitimate contributor for any team.
While the Lakers have managed to complete a deal for Davis, they will still need to secure some depth with their remaining assets. The front office is doing what it can to provide themselves with some more cushion by expanding on the trade in order to potentially net themselves up to $32.5 million in cap space by the time the free agency period starts on June 30.
The initial plan for the Lakers is attempting to bring in a third All-Star player if they can somehow manage to find the funds. Either way, they will need the extra money in order to ramp up their efforts in bringing in more quality role players this offseason.
The Wizards are expected to make the first move by extending Portis a qualifying offer at the end of the month, thus making him a restricted free agent that would allow the team to match any offer he receives from that point on. It will be interesting to see if the team’s interest in Portis ultimately comes to fruition.