Los Angeles Lakers Team Review

 

2020-21 Finish: 12-70

 

Season Highlight:

The Lakers season highlight is an easy one, despite the lowly season overall. It�s landing the big one, the thing everyone wants�a new active GM. For the entirety of their NSL history the Lakers have been run by guys that have simply not been present and that is what kills teams more than anything else, including making poor decisions. If you�re active, you can resolve the bad decisions and work for GM and the like to once again come back strong one day. But if you�re absent, everything stalls and a bad decision or two drags on for a millennia instead. Justin is here now and he has a project no doubt because of that inactivity, but he is active and involved and that�s all the team can ask for.

 

Season Lowlight:

The Lakers lowlight is the exact inverse of the highlight�the demise of the former administration and the decisions made on the way down and then out. PJ is a nice guy, good to chat to, but didn�t have the nouse or desire for this format and it showed. He was told things he needed to look at to grow, went for those in the extreme and then sat away and did nothing else until he was gone. This team had names�but now it doesn�t and it has not a lot to show for that loss too. The old administration moves are the lowlight, and will be highlighted next.

 

Best Trade:

Lakers send: Troy Brown and Nassir Little
Lakers get: Tre Jones and Jalen Smith

The jury is obviously still fairly well out on this deal for the long haul, but Little showed little to nothing in his first couple of years and Troy Brown much the same, and they netted a 2020 lottery selection in Jalen Smith and a hard nosed rookie PG who rips up the Gleague and any lesser league any time he�s given run, so surely can at least stick around like his brother Tyus.

 

Worst Trade:

Lakers send: Tobias Harris
Lakers get: Malik Monk and Nassir Little

This was just�perplexing. The old regime. Yeah the team was in a salary hole and clearing away $30mil in one hit is unheard of, but they got the equivalent of nearly nothing back for their 2^nd best player, no matter what you think of Harris� overall impact in 2k. he still went on to average 23 a night on a playoff team.

 

Other Notable Trades:

Lakers send: Russell Westbrook and Lakers 2025 2^nd round pick
Lakers get: Dejounte Murray, Rudy Gay, Nicolo Melli, Mike Scott, 2021 Pick 17, 2022 Minnesota 1^st round pick and 2025 Portland 1^st round pick

A lot of people didn�t like this trade all that much either, more because it meant the Blazers now were a legit 3 headed monster. But can you actually knock the return of Murray and 3 1sts as well as a couple of aging vets you can flip for other small pieces?

 

Lakers send: 2021 Pick 32
Lakers get: Terance Mann

At the time, the trade seemed right. Later on and now, it looks like a steal, though mann never lasted the journey in LA to that promised land.

 

Lakers send: Jordan Poole
Lakers get: Portland 2023 2^nd round pick

Uhhh lets not keep loading onto the old regime, but there was little reason to give up on Poole for pick 60.

 

Lakers send: Jonas Valanciunas and Lakers 2024 2^nd round pick
Lakers get: Spencer Dinwiddie and Lakers 2023 1^st round pick

Not horrible, but not great. Why they needed to give up a 2^nd as well here was the main question, but they�ll get something for Dinwiddie in S&T and have their own pick for the coming lottery in 2023.

 

Lakers send: Danny Green and 2021 Pick 17
Lakers get: Joe Harris

The trade the broke the league for a time. Green an aging rental who�s always been poor in 2k and the pick was projected 27^th at the time, for Harris who is younger and on a long term deal. Of course, Lebron went down and the pick went up.

 

Lakers send: Rudy Gay
Lakers get: Reggie Bullock, Garrett Temple, Tyler Johnson, 2024 Lakers 2^nd round pick and 2024 Chicago 2^nd round pick

Not a great return for Gay, but it was something which is better than losing him for nothing.

 

Lakers send: Joe Harris, Garrett Temple, 2021 Pick 60 and 2024 Chicago 2^nd round pick
Lakers get: Marcus Morris Snr and Troy Brown

Solid return for Harris. Somehow, someone landed a 1^st for DMC in this deal�

 

Lakers send: 2023 Portland 2^nd round pick
Lakers get: Damian Jones

Small deal, solid young C.

 

Lakers send: Marcus Morris Sr and Alfonzo McKinnie
Lakers get: Justice Winslow and Bruce Brown

The main target was Brown, and he looks like a nice get despite taking the QO this coming year.

 

 

Free Agency:

The Lakers have a swathe of guys off contract this summer and have some real decisions to make. There�s some easy ones, and there�s some others that are going to take time and points. The FA period really could make or break some of their immediate future, even if the pieces they are bringing back might end up just being trade bait.

Timothy Hardaway � UFA, but desire to return. He�ll be back, it�s a must.

Spencer Dinwiddie � UFA, but S&T NBA guy which means he gets the S&T bonus here, but must be traded. Getting something for their current 2^nd or 3^rd best player is key.

Bruce Brown � RFA, lock to return, but took a QO so will be UFA next year and untradeable this year.

Malik Monk � RFA, lock to return and will do so.

Reggie Bullock � UFA, and likely off to a new home.

Justice Winslow � UFA, slight bonus to return, but likely not a required player.

Damian Jones � UFA, but top loyalty bonus makes him a lock you would imagine.

Saben Lee � RFA, Little known but had a great rookie year in small spurts so is a lock to return.

 

Star:

Timothy Hardaway

Hardaway was their star, even when Val was in town. He poured in nearly 20 points a night on 46% from deep (314 triples on the year!) and while he was a bit of a volume shooter otherwise, it was needed in a laker team that was sorely missing anything resembling scorers and top level talent. Hardaway will be a key free agent this summer and is a must to come back for the new regime to get some return for their top guy.

 

Flop:

Malik Monk

It�s hard on the kid as he probably had his best year as a pro, but he played 63 games this year and averaged only 8.8 points and not a lot else on bad shooting in an engine that valued shooting like no other. You might be saying, but those numbers aren�t terrible for a 6^th man? But�he was the main piece coming back for Tobias Harris and they needed Monk to step up NOW if you�re going to trade out a legit league star to get him.

 

Draft Grades:

Pick #1, Cade Cunningham

The grade is a flat out A+ on all circles. How can it not be if you have the #1 pick in the draft and take the consensus #1 guy? Of course, over years there are always going to be comparisons against who else could have been taken, but Cade looks like a legit guy and they went all in on that.

 

The Future:

The Lakers are all future. They�re going to be another easy beat this year unfortunately the way they stand but they now have an active GM, a swathe of young talent, picks, and a direction. They need to rely on bringing back the vets they have currently still, so they have those trade able assets to keep moving up and on, but they will see a brighter day in the coming years now.

C: Jalen Smith / Damian Jones (FA)
PF: PJ Washington / Dario Saric
SF: Timothy Hardaway (FA) / Josh Jackson / Josh Green / CJ Elleby
SG: Bruce Brown / Malik Monk (RFA) / Kira Lewis
PG: Cade Cunningham / Nickeil Alexander-Walker / Tre Jones / Saben Lee