The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of work to do this season if they want to get back into contention for a title. Last season, Los Angeles was bounced out in the first round of the playoffs, and while the front office did address the roster a little bit, it wasn’t enough. As the Lakers move forward, the front office has to be thinking about the future of the team. Los Angeles has stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the roster right now, but James will likely be retiring in the next year or so.
This would leave Doncic by himself, in terms of star power, and the Lakers would need to address this. The Lakers franchise has always been about stars, and this won’t change at all.
There have been reports that Los Angeles has already been prepping for a life without James, but nobody knows how that may look. Doncic needs a star running mate to find more success on the floor, helping the Lakers win titles.
The star guard has shown the ability to win with solid role players, but in order for titles to be achieved, teams typically need two stars in the mix. Doncic will have other players around the league wanting to play alongside him, so it will be up to the front office to get things done. It remains to be seen how this will play out, but one thing is for sure: the Lakers likely have a list of players already ready to go. But how they address this hole in the roster once James calls it a career will be one of the more interesting parts going forward.
Los Angeles Lakers Will Land Anthony Edwards
One option for the Lakers as they search for a partner for Doncic could be Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. This could be tricky for the Lakers since Edwards is such a loved player in Minnesota, but he may want to play in a bigger market down the line.
The Timberwolves have seen success with Edwards, but they have also fallen short multiple times in the Western Conference Finals, not being able to get over the hump. At some point, he may want more, and it could lead him to be moved.
Edwards would thrive playing in a city like Los Angeles due to his personality, and the Lakers would gladly welcome him. The guard has been a fan of Doncic in the past, and the two could create one of the more lethal scoring duos in the entire league. The Lakers would likely have to overpay to land Edwards, or he would need to request a trade to Los Angeles for this to happen. But weirder things have happened across the history of the league.
Nobody thought that Doncic would land with the Lakers, and now he is with them for the foreseeable future. Edwards could be the next partner for Doncic, and if this were to happen, even if it’s unlikely, it could change the trajectory of the NBA forever.
