Lakers Roster: Updated List After LA Agrees to Contract with LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a major roster shuffle as they build around LeBron James ahead of the 2018-19 season.
Klutch Sports Group announced Sunday that James agreed to a four-year, $154 million deal with the Lakers. ESPN's Chris Haynes also reported Los Angeles agreed to one-year deals with JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported the team added Rajon Rondo on a one-year deal.
Here's how the Lakers' roster looks early in free agency, with Brook Lopez, Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and Julius Randle the team's notable free agents:
Los Angeles Lakers 2018-19 Roster
Point Guard: Lonzo Ball, Rajon Rondo
Shooting Guard: Josh Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Small Forward: LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, Luol Deng, Lance Stephenson
Power Forward: Kyle Kuzma
Center: Ivica Zubac, JaVale McGee, Moritz Wagner
The Lakers showed some promise this past season with a nine-win improvement over 2016-17. However, looking at the current squad illustrates the need for reinforcements with James now in the fold.
Los Angeles as currently constructed could finish in the top eight of the Western Conference, but the team is a long way from seriously challenging the Golden State Warriors.
Getting James to agree to a deal changes the whole calculus for the Lakers, who had been content to build steadily through the draft. The question now becomes which of their rising stars the Lakers are willing to part with in pursuit of All-Stars to partner with James.
