Los Angeles Lakers improved for 2019-20, but are they a title contender?

2019-20 roster

Key Additions: Kostas Antetokounmpo (waivers), Avery Bradley (free agency), Quinn Cook (free agency), Troy Daniels (free agency), Anthony Davis (trade), Jared Dudley (free agency), Danny Green (free agency), Talen Horton-Tucker (draft/trade), Dwight Howard (free agency)

Key Subtractions: Lonzo Ball (trade), Isaac Bonga (trade), Reggie Bullock (free agency), Tyson Chandler (free agency), Josh Hart (trade), Brandon Ingram (trade), Lance Stephenson (free agency) Moritz Wagner (trade)

This offseason was not about tweaking around the edges but rather a wholesale reconstruction. With LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma off the table the team traded virtually everything else to both acquire Anthony Davis and make room for a third star.

When Kawhi Leonard and others turned the Lakers down, the team built up a rotation of role players and then brought back some old favorites.

This new Lakers team is older and more experienced. Additions such as Danny Green and Quinn Cook have played in high-pressure situations before. Cook, Daniels, Green and Dudley increase this team’s spacing as well, a crucial element that was largely missing from last year’s team.

While the role players matter, especially Danny Green (who will be called upon for the toughest defensive assignments), this offseason was ultimately about Anthony Davis. A consensus top-10 player in the league, Davis is bursting with talent and production. The Lakers have never seen a big man quite like Davis, and along with James raises this team’s ceiling considerably.

The cost to bring in Davis was steep, not only all-but-emptying their talent base but future draft picks as well. Those costs will begin to hurt down the road, but the focus is on this year. If Davis helps lift this team into true contender status, and ultimately brings another title to Los Angeles, that will all be worth it.