{"id":53677,"date":"2023-09-06T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=53677"},"modified":"2023-09-05T22:11:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T02:11:55","slug":"los-angeles-lakers-whats-the-plan-after-lebron-retires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/09\/06\/los-angeles-lakers-whats-the-plan-after-lebron-retires\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Lakers: What\u2019s the Plan After LeBron Retires?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though <\/span>LeBron James<\/b><\/a> is set to embark on his historic 21st season, it has opened up speculation about what the <\/span>Los Angeles Lakers should do once he hangs up his jersey for good. The purple and gold have been mentioned in a flurry of rumors involving other NBA stars\u2014ones who could be paired with future cornerstone <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all of this in mind, it\u2019s worth examining the potential routes the Lakers could take and which stars\u2014if any\u2014the team should pursue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers: What\u2019s the Plan After LeBron Retires?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Rebuild?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before diving into star-studded rumors, it\u2019s worth addressing that\u2014given Davis\u2019s recent <\/span>extension<\/span><\/a>\u2014another rebuild is out of the question. Unless things change drastically, Davis will continue to lead the Lakers in their championship pursuits. The real questions are: who will be his second star, and who else can the Lakers rely upon in a few years?<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding to the City of Stars<\/b><\/h3>\n

Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/b><\/h4>\n

If things go south with the <\/span>Milwaukee Bucks, <\/span>Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/b><\/a> could be out the door, and he reportedly has interest from both the Lakers and the <\/span>New York Knicks. As <\/span>mentioned previously<\/span><\/a>, Antetokounmpo and Davis could become a dominant duo of bigs in LA, capable of captivating performances on both ends of the floor. Though the paint may become more crowded, Davis and Antetokounmpo could figure out how to make things work. It would take a lot of sacrifice from both sides\u2014a practice preached heavily by head coach Darvin Ham. However, for Antetokounmpo, the possibility of suiting up for one of the league\u2019s elite franchises cannot be denied.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trae Young<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Lakers have also been <\/span>monitoring<\/span><\/a> Trae Young’s<\/b><\/a>\u00a0current situation with the <\/span>Atlanta Hawks, according to The Athletic\u2019s Jovan Buha. Although he’s averaged 25.5 points and 9.3 assists in five seasons, the Hawks don\u2019t have much to show for it. Atlanta has made the playoffs each of the last three seasons but had their dreams dashed in the first round every time. This past season, Young averaged a double-double for the first time in his career (26.2 PPG and 10.2 APG). However, he also shot a second-worst 33% from beyond the arc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Young, another mentee of <\/span>Kobe Bryant’s<\/b><\/a>, could compliment Davis and others accordingly with his shooting and facilitating. However, the Lakers have increased their size at the guard position, favoring players around six-foot-four or six-foot-five instead of six-foot-tall players. This puts Young at a disadvantage. However, he\u2019s continued to display heart over height on defense, according to Hawks head coach Quin Snyder (following the team\u2019s elimination at the hands of the <\/span>Miami Heat):<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>He\u2019s got a lot of pride. The thing he and I have talked about is using his quickness. If you don\u2019t want to switch him onto Jimmy Butler \u2014 you don\u2019t want to switch a lot of people onto Jimmy Butler \u2014 but in Trae\u2019s case using his quickness to his advantage.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Aside from Young\u2019s necessary growth on defense, he’d open up the floor for a team anchored by Davis\u2019s paint presence. Surrounding the duo with capable shooters and finishers would be key, though Young and Davis would be another optimal pair if the opportunity presents itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damian Lillard<\/b><\/h4>\n

Finally, the big fish in a sea of trade rumors, <\/span>Damian Lillard<\/b><\/a> is still hoping for an avenue out from the Portland Trail Blazers\u2014<\/span>even if he doesn\u2019t want to acknowledge it directly<\/span><\/a>. As Buha mentioned briefly, <\/span>the Lakers previously pursued Lillard<\/span>. However, the odds of him ending up in purple and gold are slim to none. The Lakers wouldn\u2019t even be able to trade for him. Their largest contracts behind James and Davis\u2019s deals\u2014<\/span>D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/b><\/a>\u2014were just inked this offseason. Thus, the Lakers cannot trade the two until December 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying that a player of Lillard\u2019s caliber would immediately elevate the Lakers with Davis. The prospect of a Lillard-Davis connection is too good to ignore, between Davis’s paint prowess and Lillard\u2019s three-level scoring. However, it all remains a pipe dream. Unless the Blazers are willing to wait a few more months and the Lakers want to throw the kitchen sink at a seven-time All-Star (who isn\u2019t getting any younger), the Lillard-Lakers jersey swaps can stop there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions<\/b><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that <\/span>Kyrie Irving<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Kyle Lowry<\/b><\/a> were also included in the Lakers\u2019 recent pursuit of star guards. However, the Irving-to-LA ship sailed long ago. Also, Lowry, though talented and experienced, is not the player to target at 37 years old. If the Lakers are hellbent on getting a second star, they should go after Antetokounmpo or Young if possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuity is Key<\/b><\/h3>\n

At the same time, the Lakers still have a great core around James and Davis. Their supporting cast will still be effective when Davis officially leads the franchise. Russell and Hachimura are under contract until 2025 and 2026, respectively. Newcomer <\/span>Gabe Vincent<\/b><\/a> is also signed to a three-year deal, and he\u2019s a promising piece for the team\u2019s future. <\/span>Austin Reaves<\/b><\/a>, whose <\/span>excellence in FIBA play<\/span><\/a> has contributed to his continued rise in stardom, could be a Laker until 2027. The team also has other young players\u2014rising sophomore <\/span>Max Christie<\/b><\/a> and rookies <\/span>Jalen Hood-Schifino<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and <\/span>Maxwell Lewis<\/b><\/a> (among others)\u2014whose development will be key in years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pieces around a dominant duo are just as important as the leading players. The Lakers\u2019 <\/span>offseason moves<\/span><\/a> have kept them ready to remain in contention for the next few years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

Though the Lakers remain focused on next season, they should still have a plan for when James retires. Undoubtedly, Davis will continue to have a prominent role in the organization. However, surrounding him with the proper pieces will be critical to the team\u2019s success. The Lakers are likely to go big when thinking about the future. Adding a star in their prime is the Lakers\u2019 best-case scenario for a post-LeBron future.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though LeBron James is set to embark on his historic 21st season, it has opened up speculation about what the Los Angeles Lakers should do once he hangs up his jersey for good. The purple and gold have been mentioned in a flurry of rumors involving other NBA stars\u2014ones who could be paired with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":50307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,2,26,62],"tags":[187,306,319,406,38,4774,1349],"class_list":["post-53677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-featured","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-damian-lillard","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-kyle-lowry","tag-kyrie-irving","tag-lebron-james","tag-rumors","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}