The Los Angeles Lakers had a rapid fall from grace from last season. They were the champions in the bubble and then this season they fell to be a play-in team. LeBron James expressed his displeasure at this format towards the end of the season as the Lakers were about to fall into the tournament seeding.
The problem for the Lakers was they were hit with injuries to the wrong players at the wrong end of the season. James missed 27 games with an injury which had a significant impact on the team, particularly as Anthony Davis missed 36 games as well.
On top of that, when these two were out, Dennis Schroder also missed 11 games which meant that the Lakers were without either of their primary playmakers which had a detrimental impact on the team’s offense down the stretch of the season. This was the main reason they fell into the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Lakers roster moves from last season did not work as planned.
The Lakers traded Danny Green to the OKC Thunder for Schroder but this did not have the desired impact. The Lakers missed Green’s defense and 3-point shooting, however, Schroder was meant to also replace Rajon Rondo’s playmaking which he was unable to do at the same level.
On top of that, the Lakers were unable to re-sign Dwight Howard, while also trading JaVale McGee away. They did sign Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol but the team was not as strong defensively with these two players gone.
With all that in mind, let’s look at the five roster moves the Los Angeles Lakers need to make.