Biggest 2015 Offseason Needs for the Los Angeles Lakers
As 2014-15 winds down, it is not a stretch to say that the Los Angeles Lakers have needs across the board. That said, some holes are more glaring than others.
First, a quick rundown on guaranteed contracts and team options for next season: $25 million is tied up in the final year of Kobe Bryant’s contract—the longtime franchise star will be returning for his 20th NBA campaign after another long injury layoff.
Small forward/shooting guard Nick Young has three years left at roughly $5.4 million annually—Young also missed a large portion of the season with injuries to his thumb and knee.
Power forward Julius Randle will return after missing his rookie season with a broken leg and will earn $3,132,140, while 6'11" forward Ryan Kelly, experiencing a thoroughly disappointing sophomore effort, has one more guaranteed year left at $1,724,250.
The team has a $9 million option on their combo center/power forward Jordan Hill, plus second-year nonguaranteed deals for rookies Jordan Clarkson, Jabari Brown and Tarik Black at $845,059 each. L.A. also has an option on utility center Robert Sacre, at $981,348.
Of this group, Clarkson is a lock to return. Black also seems quite probable. Brown, who played alongside Clarkson at Missouri has a solid chance, while Sacre's future with the team seems up in the air.
While it is likely the team will add depth at all five positions through the draft and free agency, the most obvious needs are in three places—center, small forward and point guard.
Center
As the Lakers debate exercising Hill’s option, and whether to try to re-sign Ed Davis, they will look toward the upcoming draft for other possible solutions. The team is locked into fourth position for the lottery drawing on May 19. But as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times tweets, that doesn't quite guarantee keeping the top-five protected pick that would otherwise go to the Philadelphia 76ers.
There are some choice frontcourt prospects at the top of the draft order, with Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor each possessing legitimate size and skills at the center spot. The chances of nabbing either of those players lies with the vagaries of the bouncing lottery balls.
Lurking just a few spots lower on the ladder is another intriguing possibility—Willie Cauley-Stein from Kentucky is a 7-footer with a remarkable penchant for shot blocking, as well as the ability to defend multiple positions. Cauley-Stein is a bit of a wild card right now, ranked as high as No. 4 by Zach Harper on the CBS Sports mock draft board and No. 6 by DraftExpress.
If the Lakers don’t draft an elite big man, they’ll then have to decide whether to chase after top free agents like Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers or Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons. But they won’t be able to go after a potential max-contract player unless they decline Hill’s option.
Meanwhile, Hill has seen scant minutes lately while the Lakers take a good look at Tarik Black, who was claimed off waivers from the Houston Rockets earlier in the season. The undrafted rookie doesn’t have exceptional size, but he combines tough interior play with a high basketball IQ.
"Tarik Black at under $1M or Jordan Hill at $9M next season is a no-brainer for #Lakers. Not that big of a difference between the two.
— Ethan Norof (@Mr_Norof) April 11, 2015"
Small forward
The Lakers are especially weak at the small forward spot. This year’s main stopgap measure has been Wesley Johnson, who has once again shown his inconsistency. The former No. 4 draft pick has averaged a seemingly decent 9.8 points and 4.2 boards in 27.9 minutes per game, but it is fool’s gold—Johnson is good one night and disappears the next, as has been the case throughout his entire NBA career.
Young plays both the small forward and shooting guard positions, but he’s primarily an offensive weapon off the bench. He’s had a frustrating season between injuries, a shooting slump and clashes with head coach Byron Scott. Bryant can also slide over to the 3, but none of this changes one unarguable fact—L.A. desperately needs a dependable two-way starting small forward.
In fact, things were so bad this season that stretch 4 Ryan Kelly has been used out of position at the 3—a wholly unsuccessful experiment.
Justise Winslow could be just the guy the Lakers are looking for in the draft—might he be the next James Worthy for this team? The 19-year-old is fresh off a national championship with Duke, and, as Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report wrote, has tremendous defensive potential:
"He converts energy, burst and killer instincts into chase-down blocks, weak-side blocks, pressure, strips and steals. On the ball, Winslow has flashed lockdown potential with that 225-pound frame, foot speed and tenacity. But he's equally as effective as a team defender in terms of his rotations and help.
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As for the open market, some of the most interesting possibilities are restricted free agents who will be hotly pursued by their own teams. Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and Tobias Harris of the Orlando Magic.
Harris—a 6’9” combo forward with tremendous two-way energy—may be the most obtainable when it comes to the almighty buck. As Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel recently wrote: “Magic GM Rob Hennigan says the club ‘intends’ to bring back F Tobias Harris—a restricted free agent—‘no matter what’ the cost this summer. At $15 mill per year? Seeing is believing.”
The 22-year-old has a tremendous upside and could be a key piece of the rebuilding puzzle for the Lakers next season.
Regardless of where help comes from, a quality 3 is most definitely a huge need for Los Angeles in the offseason. Because, what else are the Lakers going to do—rent Johnson for yet one more chance? Fool the Lakers once, shame on Johnson; fool them twice, shame on the front office.
Point guard
Clarkson, who was pilfered in the draft at No. 46 last June, has turned out to be the brightest spot in the Lakers’ glum season. At 6’5”, he can play both guard positions, but he has exploded since being given the starting nod to run the point in late January, averaging 15.6 points, 5.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Regardless of the role the Lakers assign to the 22-year-old next season, they’ll need more depth at the point. Jeremy Lin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and seems like a long shot to be re-signed. Ronnie Price is a veteran defensive specialist who could be brought back inexpensively, but that will not be addressed until much later.
D’Angelo Russell is the most obvious fit for the Lakers when it comes to elite draft lottery point guards. The 19-year-old out of Ohio State is 6’5” with mind-boggling passing skills. And while the point is his natural position, he can also plug into a 2-guard role.
SB Nation’s Kevin O’Connor recently opined on Russell’s prospects as a potential star playmaker in the NBA:
"With a 6'9 wingspan and a speedy release, Russell towers over most point guards and will have no trouble getting his shot off in the NBA. He has had consistent success hitting shots with a hand in his face and he has actually been even better off the dribble, which bodes well for his versatility. Russell's footwork is still developing, but he will likely become an even larger threat off screens and dribble handoffs.
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Next in line is Emmanuel Mudiay, an enormously athletic 19-year-old who decided to forgo college to play overseas in China. Unfortunately, an ankle injury while abroad limited him to just 12 games. Despite his talent, Mudiay’s relative inexperience could position him as a longer-term development prospect.
The Lakers will also have a late first-round pick and two potential second-rounders in a draft loaded with opportunities. Kris Dunn from Providence, Jerian Grant from Notre Dame, Tyus Jones from Duke, Delon Wright from Utah and Terry Rozier from Louisville are all intriguing possibilities.
When it comes to free agency, the most talked-about targets for the Lakers are Rajon Rondo and Goran Dragic. The heat on Rondo has much to do with Bryant’s continued attempts to recruit him. At the same time, Rondo has a lot of mileage on his wheels and doesn’t bode well as a long-term franchise solution.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat will likely do everything possible to keep Dragic, who has brought them much-needed speed and vitality since being acquired via trade at the deadline.
That leads to the question of how a changed role might affect Clarkson. Given his competitive nature and the exponential rate at which he is progressing, it is safe to say the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March will be ready to battle for a starting spot again next season.
As noted above, the Lakers have needs across the board and will likely have a host of new faces on board come training camp in the fall. Logical arguments can be made for positional priorities from 1 to 5, but there's no question everything will be examined.
But a dominant center, an aggressive two-way small forward and a versatile point guard would go a long way toward restoring purple and gold relevance in the NBA.
Contract information is from Spotrac, while stats are provided courtesy of Basketball-Reference.
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