Lakers May Pair LeBron James With a Former MVP
The LA Lakers pushed their way to an NBA title after an impressive run through the playoffs. The Lakers are running on the emotional high of winning a championship, but it’s hard to ignore the massive decisions ahead in the offseason. All that chatter has brought forth the scenario of a former league MVP joining LeBron James in LA next season.
Lakers capture their 17th NBA title
Before the start of the 2019-20 season, many pinned the Lakers as title favorite.
However, there were those that doubted the team had enough to reach those aspirations. LA led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis guided the franchise to their 17th NBA title. The Lakers rolled through the playoffs with a 16-5 record, which they were only pushed to six games in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
The organization is heading into the offseason with some critical decisions to make concerning their roster. That has quickly sprouted up discussion around a possible trade scenario regarding a former league MVP.
Lakers could acquire a former MVP to play with LeBron James
The Lakers may be fresh off winning an NBA title, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill around the franchise.
It has already seen several scenarios crop up as possibilities over the offseason. Among those is a report from Sean Deveney of Heavy.com stating that an NBA general manager told him it’s “more than likely” that the Lakers look to acquire Derrick Rose in a trade.
LA was heavily rumored to have an interest in acquiring Rose before the trade deadline this past season, but nothing came to fruition. The former league MVP put up a respectable campaign with the Detriot Pistons before injuries piled up. Rose averaged 18.1 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 49% from the floor.
The 32-year-old is entering the second year of his two-year, $15 million deal with the Pistons, where he will make roughly $7.6 million. Rose previously played with LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 but struggled due to injuries, production consistency, and even left the team because of those issues weighing on him mentally.
The possibility of acquiring Rose is likely linked to Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope both aiming to test the free-agent market. If anything, it’s something to keep an eye on this offseason.
LA has big decisions ahead
What this chatter signifies is that the Lakers have some significant decisions ahead to make in the offseason.
LA has already moved past one massive hurdle with star forward Anthony Davis. The early reports suggest that Davis will re-sign with the team after he opts out of his deal’s final year. That move came to be expected after Davis helped guide the Lakers to an NBA title alongside LeBron James.
There are other critical moves ahead with key role players on their roster. Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are both likely to opt-out of their deals. There is a strong mutual interest to work out new deals, but other suitors could swoop in to make a strong play in free agency.
Meanwhile, Dwight Howard will be an unrestricted free agent and could draw significant interest from the Golden State Warriors. Players such as Avery Bradley ($5 million) and JaVale McGee ($4.2 million) have crucial decisions ahead before next season.
The Lakers are looking to contend again, making each of these roster decisions crucial to their NBA title hopes.
