The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the 2023 season with a ton of hope and optimism. The prior season was an utter disaster in terms of their lofty expectations, as they fell to only 33-49 despite having one of the most impressive trios of all time featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Their championship aspirations were over as soon as the All-Star break arrived because they lacked defensive grit, and Russell Westbrook was not the answer for them at point guard.
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With the same core returning, it is unlikely the Lakers will be able to overcome the lingering issues and poor roster fit to actually compete in a loaded Western Conference. The likes of the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Memphis Grizzlies are all better teams. Therefore, for a Lakers fan, it could be another long season.
Instead of hoping for a successful 2023 campaign, the Lakers should instead focus their efforts on creating one of the most impressively complete starting lineups in modern NBA history next year. Their main targets: Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green. If the Lakers play their cards right, here is how they can add two future Hall of Fame talents with a combined 5 championships to their core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Lakers Salary For The 2023-24 NBA Season
The Los Angeles Lakers have the 6th highest payroll in the league at over $174 million owed to their players. Obviously, the bulk of the money is tied up in their Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. The outcast is Russell Westbrook, who will be taking every penny of the $47 million owed to him in 2023. But for the sake of the Lakers’ plan, he will be off the books in 2024, and that is a ton of money to write off the books.
LeBron and Davis are untouchables and will be the guiding force for the team. Luckily for the Lakers, only Max Christie and Damian Jones (player option) will be hitting cap space in 2024 alongside the two stars. That means the Lakers can pick and choose which players they will keep in 2024, including the likes of Patrick Beverley, Lonnie Walker, Kendrick Nunn, Dennis Schroder, and Thomas Bryant.
With a ton of money off the book, the Lakers can afford to attract two high-profile stars in the form of Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green. But even if they have the money to pull off two major moves, is it too far-fetched to get the job done? Here is how they can get it done.
How Can The Lakers Land Draymond Green And Kyrie Irving Next Summer?
As things stand, it will be very tough for the Lakers to add two high-profile players to their roster in financial terms. But a couple of factors could make this possible. To start, the cap might rise to $134 million next year, meaning the Los Angeles Lakers can legitimately add Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green to their roster that already features LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That means they will have around $42 million in space to make two spectacular signings. Kyrie Irving will want a max contract, but for the sake of joining the Lakers and having Draymond by his side, he will have to take a pay cut.
Draymond Green will also need to take a pay cut and accept he is not an All-Star anymore. His impact will be there, but a pay cut will be necessary. If both players take significant pay cuts, the Lakers can add both and laugh all the way to the bank. But if that is not possible, Los Angeles could be clever and engage in sign-and-trades involving the likes of Kendrick Nunn, Lonnie Walker, Patrick Beverley, and possibly Russell Westbrook. No doubt, first-round picks will need to be included to pry Kyrie Irving out of Brooklyn and possibly Green from Golden State.
It is also important to look at the Golden State Warriors side of things as well because they re-signed Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins to extensions. Poole signed a 4-year, $123 million extension, while Wiggins received a 4-year, $109 million extension. With those moves, the Warriors have tied down their new Big Four, and Green is the only one who is yet to receive a new contract and could be expendable.
Otherwise, the Lakers can look even longer down the line and wait until LeBron James is a free agent again. He can re-sign and decide to take a pay cut because, quite frankly, he has the least to lose as the richest player in the league with a value of $1 billion. If Kyrie and Draymond want to cash in and look to settle their futures, LeBron could be unselfish enough to accept a pay cut. That means Kyrie and Green can sign mediocre short-term deals with the Lakers and then re-sign for a longer one once James accepts his pay cut. Again, the players will need to sacrifice in order to team up, but are they willing to do that?
The Lakers have enough negotiation factors in their favor to make deals happen because they sport two of the most dominant players in the league and a cache that no other franchise has. Can Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka get it done? There are a ton of questions about the Lakers’ plan in 2023 and 2024, but they are in a good spot with regard to making room to have one of the best Big Fours in NBA history.
2024 Lakers Powerful Superteam: Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis
With a solid Big Four built, the Lakers are right back in the mix to win it all, realistically. Each one of the stars has won a championship, and LeBron James is still the best leader in the NBA and will continue to be at age 39. Seeing how The King is playing, he will very likely continue to dominate the scoring charts and impact the game with his playmaking at a superstar level.
Anthony Davis has looked tremendous during the 2022-23 preseason and will only continue to feel better as he gains with his body and motivation to dominate the court. Other than Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis has the claim to being the most talented big man in the NBA. No player can shoot, defend, block shots, and come up with scoring moves with athleticism like Davis can. Remember, he is a guard in a center’s body.
Kyrie Irving is still one of the best scorers from the point guard position and will be extra motivated to team up with his older brother, LeBron James, again. LeBron and Kyrie dominated the scoring charts together during their 2016 Finals run, and there is no doubt The King brings out the best in the polarizing guard. Kyrie is also a floor-spacer, something LeBron and Davis both need.
Lastly, even at his age, Draymond Green is an impact player. He will be even less of an offensive threat in 2024 than he already is, but he will make up for it with an elite defense, basketball IQ, and championship experience. Green is a unique player who is invaluable for championship teams, and he can assume that position with the Lakers in 2024.
Most importantly, both Irving and Green are coming off extremely polarizing seasons with the way they have handled their off-court antics. Irving basically killed the Brooklyn Nets’ chances last year when he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Green won an NBA championship, which is commendable, but he washed away any love he might have gained by punching his own teammate in practice. The Golden State Warriors clearly value Jordan Poole more, and that will mean Draymond is expendable. The extensions offered to both Poole and Wiggins cast further doubt that the franchise wants to retain Green for the long term.
By acquiring two Hall of Fame players and pairing them with LeBron and Davis, the Lakers are right back in the mix. There will also be an established pecking order in terms of scoring options, and Green can assume his position as an irritant and defensive enforcer alongside other offensive stars. Both Irving and Green will want to prove to the rest of the league that they are war-ready, and Los Angeles can become the favorites to come out of the Western Conference in 2024 with their clever roster maneuvering.
