Los Angeles Lakers: 2017-18 NBA season preview
Storyline 3: Who will stay with the team past this season?
The Lakers are gunning for summer of 2018, but to add two max-contract stars they will need to clear out a significant amount of salary. This season will be about winning (marginally) but also about gathering information about which inexpensive young players can be kept next summer.
Julius Randle has been a polarizing player to this point in his career. A gifted scorer and passer, he has serious defensive flaws and has not yet extended his range out to the 3-point line. Could he become a version of Draymond Green with more offensive verve?
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That’s a dream, with Randle as a small-ball 5 snatching a rebound and pushing the ball in transition. But that dream hasn’t yet come to fruition. With Randle due for extension negotiations this fall and a new contract next summer, the team has to weigh his worth against the players available to them next summer.
Brandon Ingram has had just one season to show his stuff in the league, and he generally showed progress in unexpected areas and underdelivered in his supposed “strong” areas. This lanky marksmen shot just 29.4 percent from long range last season. On the other hand, he flashed weakside shot-blocking and a surprisingly developed floor game passing and handling. Even mild growth should solidify Ingram’s spot on the roster moving forward.
If big fish are biting next summer, it’s a near surety that the Lakers will move Luol Deng and Jordan Clarkson, both earning large paychecks next season (and beyond). Their play this year will dictate how much L.A. has to give up in order to trade them. What about bench players such as Larry Nance Jr. and Ivica Zubac?
The entire roster outside of Lonzo Ball is on review this year. If LeBron James and Paul George make it known they are coming (and perhaps they both have), then this team clears out the space no matter the cost. But there will be room for someone to stay, and it will be a fascinating journey to determine who earns that right and who is headed out.