The Los Angeles Lakers just won the 2020 NBA championship in the bubble in October, they are ready to face the upcoming NBA season and are ready to keep ruling the league for several years to come. The Purple and Gold are planning their future, even getting ready for the possibility of LeBron James retiring, decreasing his level and even going to another team to share touches with his son Bronny.
Los Angeles is ready for that scenario and according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Rob Pelinka already has figured out what to do next in order to keep the team as a very competitive one. Shelburne says the team wants to pair Anthony Davis with a young star to continue their dominance in the Western Conference, even dropping some names.
“[The Lakers] have positioned themselves to have cap space next year. And Giannis is not the only potential free agent,” Shelburne said. “I don’t know, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George. Here’s what I think when you look at the Lakers’ long-term plans.
“If you were the Lakers and you were team-building, you would look at Anthony Davis as the next star to build around. It’s nice for him to have LeBron this year and next year, but he needs a younger star to play with going forward. Whether it’s this summer or the summer after that, you have to put yourself in a position either by trade or free agency to acquire a younger star to pair with Anthony Davis so the handoff from LeBron to AD is seamless.”
Ramona Shelburne says Rob Pelinka is looking ahead at the post-LeBron Lakers and building around AD
He wants to get a young star in the next year or two to pair with Anthony Davis so the transition post-LBJ is seamlesshttps://t.co/zmyHE8lhGM
— Top Ball Coverage (@TopBallCoverage) December 1, 2020
The Lakers have big plans for their future and they could even land another star while LeBron is still around. They are planning to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo next season, as long as the Greek player doesn’t re-sign with Bucks, and James and Davis can play a big role in that decision. Giannis will be one of the most coveted players in the 2021 NBA free agency and the Lakers are ready to go all-in for his services.
They still have three roster spots available and whoever lands in LA this offseason could be there for only one season, trying to release some cap space for the team. They have five options to fill those spots and complete their roster, which looks even better than last season.
