Last season for the LA Lakers was one of their worst since the arrival of LeBron James. The Purple and Gold were the 21st worst team on defense, averaging 113.3 points scored against them per game. That is why many of their players have not been able to get a contract in the NBA after that disaster.
After not even qualifying for the Play-In, the Californian franchise decided to clean up and hire new players, such as Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr. Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant and Patrick Beverley. These new faces in the organization, in addition to the return of Dennis Schorder and the rookies, helped freshen up the roster.
All this with the idea of adding youth and renewed energy to the team, which had a bad season and was criticized for having such an old roster. The 2021/22 Lakers suffered from a lack of intensity and quick transitions on the court.
The Lakers’ veterans
Players like Carmelo Anthony (38), Trevor Ariza (37), Dwight Howard (36), DJ Augustin (35), Darren Collinson (35), Wayne Ellington (35), DeAndre Jordan (34), Rajon Rondo (36), Avery Bradley (32), Kent Bazemore (33)and of course, LeBron James (37), Anthony Davis (29) and Russell Westbrook (34). They were the main ones singled out, with critics saying they were old and no longer ran up and down the court.
In fact, of those mentioned above, excluding LeBron, Davis and Westbrook, only DeAndre Jordan (Denver Nuggets), is still under contract in the NBA. The rest are all without a team, and Dwight Howard is playing for the Taoyuan Leopards of Taiwan.
The pressure is on Rob Pelinka, the team’s General Manager, who is in charge of signings and assembling the roster. If this season doesn’t turn around, the Lakers could be hitting rock bottom, having only one more year of both AD and LeBron guaranteed under the contract.
Presumably they would rather trade them and get something out of them than be left with nothing. Interesting and tense times lie ahead for the Lakers and the future of one of basketball’s most storied franchises.
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