Mark L. Baer – USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the worst records in the league, which actually may be a blessing if they are able to keep their first-round draft pick. There are several high-caliber players available in the draft next year, and the organization needs to have a top-three pick in order to keep it. As a rebuilding franchise, the team will need as many chances as possible to draft a future star. However, management has shown in the past that they are unafraid to make big moves, and there are currently several unhappy stars around the league the team could possibly go after. The Lakers will have some big decisions to make before the trade deadline which could determine their future.
One route for the Lakers would be to continue with their current roster and maybe trade a few players for future assets. This would allow them their best chance to keep their top pick while hopefully adding more draft picks. It would also give them the opportunity to develop their young players and allow them to go through growing pains.
Another way the franchise could go would be to try and trade for a star player. This would be difficult for them, as they would likely have to part with several of their younger players who have shown a lot of potential. There is no guarantee that this would push them into playoff contention just yet, although adding a star to the roster would look more attractive to free agents.
The Lakers should still have enough money to go after some of the bigger names this offseason, whether they trade for a star or try to keep their draft pick. They have a lot of contracts coming off the books and could offer multiple stars the opportunity to team up and play together.
Whichever way the organization chooses to go, there will be some tough decisions in the upcoming months. Some of their younger players have stepped into bigger roles and are proving that they belong in the league. Yet the roster is still very limited, and the team does not have a star player to lead them. The decisions made will have a huge impact on the future and could determine how much longer the Lakers have to rebuild.
