Anonymous Laker Says 'We Just Don't Have Enough Good Players' in New Rumors After Loss to Thunder
The Los Angeles Lakers are searching for answers after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Athletic's Dan Woike and Sam Amick explained that the gap between the Lakers and the defending champion Thunder has been visible throughout the year, as Los Angeles finished 11 games behind Oklahoma City in the regular season. During their playoff series, the Lakers were outscored by 64 points over the four-game sweep.
After Monday night's 115-110 loss in Game 4 in Los Angeles, one locker room source admitted to Woike and Amick that the Lakers faced a talent deficit against a young Thunder team that has been the best in the NBA for the past two years.
"We just don't have enough good players," the source lamented.
Los Angeles is staring at a pivotal offseason, as team and league sources told Woike and Amick that "running it back with a mostly similar roster isn't a palatable option."
Lakers star forward LeBron James is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and he made it clear after Monday night's loss that he's unsure about his future. Star guard Austin Reaves is expected to decline his player option for next season and test the open market. Woike and Amick noted that "retaining both could keep the Lakers from fully evolving into a roster built around" star guard Luka Doncic.
Los Angeles is hoping to be among the top contenders for an NBA championship next season, so it's safe to expect that the team will be aggressive in free agency as it tries to retool its roster.
