The NBA playoffs are a learning moment.
Lessons given, lessons learned.
The main takeaway from the Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers series is that the Lakers don't have a championship roster compared to the Nuggets, and the gap is wide in a best-of-seven series.
The proof is in the results. The Nuggets dominated the Lakers in last season's Western Conference Finals, and a similar result played out this season when Denver won the series 4-1 over the Lakers.
Denver ended the Lakers' season with a 108-106 victory in Game 5 on Monday. Jamal Murray hit a 14-foot jumper with four seconds left to advance the Nuggets to the conference semifinals, where they will face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, Murray had 32 points and seven assists and Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points.
Now, the Lakers enter a new offseason looking for answers that will allow them to be contenders in the Deep West, where top teams in Denver, Oklahoma City and Minnesota are gearing up for future seasons.
The Lakers explored the possibility of a trade, but no action was taken before the February trade deadline.
“You can't buy a house that's not for sale,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka explained nearly three months ago. “My job is to always look for ways to upgrade our members, but you can't buy a house that's not for sale. We look for ways to leverage assets to make our team better. I spent a lot of time on it.”
Outside of real estate, there just wasn't a good trade for the Lakers. Additionally, the Lakers only had one first-round pick to send to another team at the trade deadline, which is far from the attractive asset other teams were looking for in signing an All-Star-caliber player. was.
However, the Lakers could acquire three first-round picks this summer, opening up the possibility of improving their roster.
“This summer, June, at the draft, we're going to have three first-round draft picks to look for contracts. That really gives us access to potentially even bigger swings,” Pelinka said in February. I think it will be possible.” After the trading deadline. “We didn't want to shoot a small bullet now, which would lead to very small improvements at the expense of a potentially much larger and more impactful movement in June or July. In some cases, no action is better than an unwise one.”
Where do the Lakers go from here?
Who is signed with the Lakers in 2024-25?
LeBron James (has a player option and can become a free agent)
anthony davis
D’Angelo Russell (has a player option and can become a free agent)
Rui Hachimura
austin reeves
Gabe Vincent
Jared Vanderbilt
Jalen Hood-Schifino
Christian Wood (has player option and can become a free agent)
Cam Reddish (has player option and can become a free agent)
Jackson Hayes (has player option and can become a free agent)
Maxwell Lewis
Who is a free agent from the Lakers roster?
Max Christie (restricted free agent)
Skyler Mays (restricted free agent)
Colin Castleton (restricted free agent)
Spencer Dinwiddie (unrestricted free agent)
Taurean Prince (unrestricted free agent)
Harry Giles (unrestricted free agent)
How much salary cap space do the Lakers have?
The Lakers don't have the salary cap space to make any significant free agent signings. Considering James' return, it is expected to exceed the luxury tax. They will be able to take advantage of the minimum salary and mid-level exceptions to strengthen their roster.
We need to make a big move through trade.
What do the Lakers need?
Percentage-wise, the Lakers were a solid 3-point shooting team at 37.7%.But they were 28 years oldth 3-point attempts per game (31.4) and 24th Number of threes made per game (11.8). This resulted in the Lakers posting an average offense, ranking 15th in the league with his 115.4 points per 100 possessions.
Finding offensive help is a must, and guard help is at the top of the list.
The Lakers also need health, which Lakers coach Darvin Ham said is key to getting the most out of a roster that had a strong period during the regular season. Injuries to Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent and Jared Vanderbilt kept them from having a full lineup for much of the season.
