4 Offseason moves the Lakers must make to win the West next season
By Eric Fritts
3. Improve the backcourt
D’Angelo Russel was a good acquisition for the Lakers at the time, especially with how Rob Pelinka and company rebuilt the team on the fly. But he showed that he isn’t what the Lakers need at point guard in order to be successful. Russell is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he has expressed interest in re-signing from the Lakers, they will most likely allow him to walk.
So what replacements are available?
Fortunately for Los Angeles, there are a few available free agents this offseason. Fred VanVleet is an unrestricted free agent and could very well be wanting a change of scenery while Toronto is figuring out its future plans. VanVleet is 29 and still could opt in to one more year with the Raptors. As of now, there have been no indications of what VanVleet plans to do.
The other big name that has been linked to the Lakers is of course Kyrie Irving. Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks who did not make the playoffs. Like VanVleet, he is also an unrestricted free agent. Irving won a championship with LeBron James in Cleveland in 2016, and while he did force a trade to leave the Cavs, rejoining with James has appeared to be something of mutual interest. The big caveat with Irving is of course his unpredictability off the court. That being said, he is the most talented option out there.