The Los Angeles Lakers have an extremely important offseason ahead of them now that the 2018-19 NBA regular season is officially over for them.
LeBron James is expected to help the Lakers recruit the top names in free agency which could include the likes of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, and DeMarcus Cousins.
Any of these All-Star caliber players would be welcome additions, but the team’s chances of landing some of them appears to be slim. Durant has spoken about the environment around James being toxic while all signs have pointed to Thompson preferring to stay in Golden State. Meanwhile, Leonard has been rumored to be more likely to join the other team in Los Angeles if he were to return to Southern California.
That still seems to be the case as according to Bill Oram of The Athletic, the Lakers are second or third on the free agency lists of those three All-Star players:
The Lakers will now turn their attention to an offseason in which they are expected to revisit trade options for Davis, while also chasing top targets in free agency – as unlikely as it is that Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson will come, according to a league source who believes the Lakers will be second or third on those players’ lists.
Considering the prior reports regarding these three players, this news isn’t too much of a surprise and now with the sudden announcement that Magic Johnson is stepping down as president of basketball operations, there will be more questions on the Lakers landing a big name this summer.
Bringing in another big name to join James this summer is of the utmost importance. If Durant, Leonard, and Thompson aren’t in the cards then Irving, Walker, or Cousins may need to be the focus for the front office and whoever is in charge once free agency hits.