Bold Lakers Predictions for Top 2024 NBA Offseason Signings, Trades
For a while, it felt like the 2024 NBA offseason could be transformational for the Los Angeles Lakers.
If big changes are coming to this bunch, though, they haven't happened yet.
The Lakers switched coaches and made a couple of draft picks, but the rest of their offseason activity has involved internal moves. That makes it feel fairly predictable regarding what this club can do during the upcoming campaign, but we'll still go bold with some predictions about the most notable players signed to new deals or added this summer.
LeBron James Makes First or Second Team All-NBA
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Even as LeBron James has advanced closer to his 40th birthday, which improbably arrives this December, he has shown very few signs of aging. His seemingly endless list of accolades, which recently added an Olympic MVP, reflects as much.
But while he hasn't lost his spot on an All-NBA roster, he has landed on the third team in each of the past three seasons. That's a remarkable achievement for almost anyone else, but it's not where peak-of-his-powers LeBron once resided.
Reversing this trend fears near impossible, and yet this Olympic showing was a reminder that James can still summon best-player-on-the-planet abilities. He has to pace those power-ups to avoid burning himself out over the 82-game marathon, but it shouldn't take much more than what he's already doing to make the leap to the first or second team.
Even repeating his 2023-24 performance, when he averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds over 71 outings, might cut it if the Lakers can be just a pinch more competitive. If he provides that volume and efficiency (54 percent shooting overall, 41 percent from three) for a team that snags a top-six seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, it's hard to imagine All-NBA voters denying him a first or second team spot.
Dalton Knecht Snags an All-Rookie Spot
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Since the Lakers haven't added an external veteran, it feels fair to include Dalton Knecht, their top pick in this year's draft.
His slide to the 17th selection felt like a gift from the basketball gods, and that could become even more obvious once his first campaign starts. His perimeter shot is NBA-ready, and it happens to address one of the biggest problem areas on this team.
"None of us thought he'd be there. It's crazy," a team source told ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "The most ready guy in the draft, ready to play right away."
The Lakers didn't have great three-point volume to begin with, and one of their top suppliers moved on in free agency (Taurean Prince). Another is prominently perched on the trade rumor mill (D'Angelo Russell). The Lakers need Knecht to play right now, in other words, and they'll give him enough of an opportunity to shoot, slash and score his way onto an All-Rookie roster.
Max Christie Averages 20-Plus Minutes, 10-Plus Points
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Max Christie logged 1,456 minutes across 108 contests over the past two seasons. The Lakers easily could've allowed the market to set his rate in restricted agency.
They made him a priority instead and inked him to a four-year, $32 million deal before the market even opened. That suggests they still have big plans for the 35th pick of the 2022 draft.
They also have very few obstacles in front of him on the perimeter. Predicting he'll grab a starting slot is a step too far, but he has a great chance of being one of their first players off the pine. And if he's getting 20-plus minutes (his current career-high is 14.1), then he'll find his way to double-digit points (4.2 stands as his personal-best).
He is a need-filling shooter who has shown flashes of handling and creation when allowed to test his limits. There's a non-zero chance he shows so much growth in his game that he factors in the 2024-25 season's Most Improved Player award voting.
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