The Lakers offseason can officially begin as it was announced Tuesday that they would keep their first round pick. It was a crucial first step in the first summer with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka at the helm.
Of course, the news brings plenty of questions into the fold. The Lakers are always reported to be big players in both free agency and trades and this year will be no different. Linked prominently to Paul George, there is a chance that LA will try to trade for the star this summer and surround him with other players to immediately begin contending.
However, it appears as though the Lakers are content in standing pat for now. After the lottery, Magic reiterated what he has said for a while now: the Lakers are not expecting to do much this summer. Instead, their focus is on free agency in 2018.
"I don't think we're going to be a major player this year. I'm looking forward to next summer." – Magic Johnson on free agency
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) May 17, 2017
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This is probably the right course of action or inaction as it were. Most of the major free agents this summer are expected to stay with their incumbent teams and those that may move come with plenty of risks. That means the market will likely overpay for second and third-tier free agents, something the Lakers can’t afford to do with Deng and Mozgov still on the books.
Still, they can look to add good players, improve the team (there is no incentive to tank next year), and develop their young players to make the team more appealing to someone like George in 2018.
Speaking of young players, Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka expectedly said that the team would look at all options with the pick. But, it seems unlikely that any moves will be made:
The Lakers will evaluate trade options for the No. 2 pick. Rob Pelinka added, though, it's not very likely they trade it.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) May 17, 2017
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So as it stands: if a great trade comes along, the Lakers are going to take it. But until then, expect them to continue building the team from the ground up and developing their roster. Let’s gear up for the summer, folks.
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