Where do the Lakers go Next?

The Lakers are now 30-40 and with the season winding down on a season that was supposed to be about winning a Championship they are left with a lot of disappointment. The lakers had top 5 odds to win the title before the season per various betting sites and now they would be lucky to make it out of the play-in.

Everything has gone wrong for the Lakers this year except for LeBron James still playing at a high level. Anthony Davis has only played 37 out of 70 games and won’t be back until the last week of the season most likely. the Westbrook trade has been a disaster and most of their signings have been failures. They get embarrassed on a weekly basis and struggle to play with pride or energy. This season is over for them but how can they get right for next year?

The Lakers have 7 players signed for next year and will be way over the Cap and in the luxury tax. The first order for the team is to find out what to do with Russel Westbrook. He doesn’t really fit with the team and is not a star any longer. Trading him will be tricky and will define the Lakers off-season. He will make 47 million dollars next year and no team will trade for that without getting picks in return. Even if they do trade him they will have to take back bad contracts. The goal should be to take on multiple players who are better fits and can play next to James and Davis. A possible trade partner is the Knicks and the Lakers could take Kemba Walker, Nerlans Noel back and try to have them fit in.

Another big step is to get some wings who are able to play both sides of the court and a playable center. The biggest factor of all is having Anthony Davis healthy and playing at a high-level. I believe the Lakers can return to championship contention in one off-season. They did it in the 2019 off-season, but they will have to make a lot of complicated decisions and get lucky with signings and trades.