The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason was defined by Rob Pelinka’s complete unwillingness to do anything productive. That sounds harsh on the surface, but aside from hiring the most obvious and least qualified head coaching candidate and re-signing LeBron James to a near-max contract that was never truly in doubt, Pelinka was wholly inactive. He did add a potential contributor through the draft in Dalton Knecht, but the Lakers were silent throughout free agency and nonexistent in trade circles.
That leaves pretty much the same roster as last season in tact — the same roster that was gentleman’s swept out of the first round by the Denver Nuggets. One would expect the Lakers to take their station seriously at some point. We are talking about the Los Angeles Lakers, one of basketball’s marquee franchises, and LeBron is entering what could feasibly be the last season of his historic career. The clock is ticking. There’s no waiting for the tides to shift.
As for the Nuggets, their offseason didn’t go so well either. Russell Westbrook naturally drums up excitement, but odds are he’s a replacement-level backup point guard at best. Dario Saric was a nice upgrade in the backup center role, but Denver lost an elite 3-point shooter and bonafide All-Defense candidate in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That comes just one year after letting Bruce Brown walk to conserve money.
The Nuggets are operating cheaply despite a recent championship, which is unfortunate. Their fans deserve better. As it sits, the Nuggets’ depth beyond the starting lineup leaves much to be desired.
Denver needs more bodies. The Lakers need a meaningful talent boost. Perhaps these bitter postseason rivals can strike up a mutually beneficial trade.
One of J.J. Redick’s biggest talking points after the Lakers hired him was upping their 3-point volume. Michael Porter Jr. immediately accomplishes that goal as one of the best 3-point shooting wings in the NBA. It won’t be cheap, but Porter’s contract is enough of a burden — $35.8 million this season and ascending for two more years — that he could be had for a reasonable price. Especially with the Nuggets in desperate need of more bodies. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report made a compelling pitch for Porter’s fit in Los Angeles.
Porter is 6-foot-10 with picturesque mechanics on his jumper. His volume and efficiency were down a smidge in 2023-24 compared to seasons past, but 6.8 attempts and a 39.7 percent conversion rate is still excellent by NBA standards. The Lakers would plug Porter into Hachimura’s spot in the lineup, presumably shifting Austin Reaves to “point guard,” where he’d split ball-handling duties with LeBron. As for the Lakers’ fifth starter, that spot probably belongs to Jarred Vanderbilt or Max Christie.
