The Los Angeles Lakers made one of the biggest moves around the NBA when they managed to trade for Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook. Nonetheless, they have to give away plenty of their depth and they had a clear need for shooting.
Rob Pelinka did an outstanding job of filling the roster with veteran players, bringing back several ex-Lakers to make another run at a championship. Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, and even Kent Bazemore could provide the shooting they needed, while Dwight Howard can lock down the paint again.
Nonetheless, even though the Lakers were quite aggressive in their pursuit of veterans on minimum deals to round up their roster, there's still a big hurdle to get by on their way to another championship: Father Time.
The Lakers Are Way Over The Age Limit
"The Lakers currently have 7 players with guaranteed contracts on their roster, 6 of whom are 32 or older. They also have 4 players who are 35 and older. They've never had a team with that many 35-year-olds in a season in franchise history," reported Elias Sports.
"Dwight Howard will turn 36 this year...when he does, the Lakers will have 4 players 36 or older, which would be the most by any team in a season since LeBron's 2016-17 Cavaliers, who had 6," added the report.
Lakers Players Under Guaranteed Contracts:
LeBron James - 36 YO
Marc Gasol - 36 YO
Trevor Ariza - 36 YO
Dwight Howard - 35 YO
Wayne Ellington - 33 YO
Russell Westbrook - 32 YO
Kent Bazemore - 32 YO
Anthony Davis - 28 YO
The Lakers have now one of the most balanced rosters in the league and they have plenty of talent to make a deep playoff run. But given their recent history with injuries and the age of their new players, you have to be worried about their health down the stretch.
