Despite the Los Angeles Lakers had only a few blockbusters in terms of signings in the offseason, both the team and the front office know that the Lakers are still in a midway of a rebuild. That's why when Russell Westbook wasn't traded, there weren't any more massive moves.
However, next summer will be very different. Westbook's $47-million deal will be over, and only three current players will have a guaranteed contract for the 2023-24 NBA Season with the Los Angeles Lakers. These players are LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Max Christie.
That's why the front office led by Rob Pelinka as VP of Basketball Operations will have to work hard to build up a team around two NBA Champions and a future NBA star for the franchise. Its not going to be easy, however, the Lakers will have a $134-million-dollar salary cap space to spend on it, according to reports.
NBA Rumors: The Lakers prepare massive moves for the next summer
As reported by Heavy’s Sean Deveney, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing massive moves for next summer, no matter what's the final result of the 2022-23 NBA Season. In fact, their eyes are on the unrestricted free agents for the 2023 summer. Some of them were linked to the LA franchise during the last off-season.
"No matter what they do with trades or however they reconstruct this year, they are going to keep an eye on next summer. That is where they have a lot invested, being able to get another star-type player next summer. They’re going to look at Kyrie Irving of course, but he is probably not their top choice. They will look at Jerami Grant, who they liked for a long time. Same with Myles Turner. I think Andrew Wiggins would be a big prize there because he can play two ways.” says the report.
In fact, Kyrie Irving was on the Lakers' radar last summer, however, the deal wasn't good enough for the Brooklyn Nets, who after multiple rumors, ended up with their two main stars for the upcoming season. And, Grant who isn't an All-Star yet, but he has been scouted by the Lakers over a long time now, with the likes of everyone, according to multiple reports.
