The offseason is always full of hopes and disappointments, especially for a team as historic as the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers' performance in free agency this summer can be described as an old adage — "The mountains look up, the scenery stops." When superstar LeBron James publicly announced his willingness to take a pay cut in order to bring in more power to the team, many Lakers fans were undoubtedly gearing up for a great transfer season. However, in the blink of an eye, all good expectations seemed to be shattered.
In the early days of free agency, James' salary cut freed up $12.8 million in salary space for the Lakers, but that figure was clearly difficult to attract top stars. James' sacrifice does not seem to have paid off in return. James' list of favorite players included Klay Thompson, James Harden and Jonas Valanciunas, but all three ultimately failed to join the Lakers.
Harden quickly signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers, while Valanciunas opted for the Washington Wizards to sign a three-year, $30 million contract. Despite the Lakers offering a similar contract, Pelinka doesn't seem to have made much of a move on the Valanciunas trade. The situation is more complicated for Klay, as the Lakers offered a four-year, $80 million contract, but was rejected because the trade package included Russell, who was not popular with the Golden State Warriors.
Lakers' management appears to be shifting its strategic focus from the pursuit of instant power to the development of young players. The shift is puzzling because top stars like James and Anthony Davis are still on the team. According to ESPN's Venhorst, while the Lakers are not doing well on the free market, they have begun to focus on the development of the next generation of players.
It has to be said that this strategy of the Lakers is confusing. The presence of James and Davis could have attracted more top players, thus enhancing the team's competitiveness. However, the Lakers seem to prefer to invest in the future rather than make the most of existing superstar resources. This shift in strategy could mean that the Lakers will face a transition period, which will undoubtedly be a painful wait for championship hungry fans and players.
As James gets older, his fitness and form make it difficult to keep up with the intensity of competition throughout the season. The Lakers are likely to rely more on young players in the coming seasons, which will undoubtedly test the team's long-term strategy. If the Lakers can't improve their game in the short term, we could see stars like Davis lose patience and seek out other, more competitive teams.
As we summarize the Lakers' gains and losses this offseason, we can't help but ask: Is Pelinka's strategy correct? Will he really be able to grasp the future of the team and set the stage for James to win another championship at the end of his career? The answers to these questions will still take time to verify, but what is certain is that every decision made by the Lakers will receive a great deal of attention and evaluation at the start of the new season.