While they have begun to fall in the Western Conference standings, losing five of their last seven games, the Los Angeles Lakers have been without Anthony Davis for close to a month now with a calf injury and LeBron James has missed the last six games with a high ankle sprain. Obviously, losing your two NBA All-Star players is going to affect this team, but the Lakers should be fine once everybody is back and healthy. 

Not only will they once again be title contenders come playoff time, but the Lakers will once again be heavy favorites to win another championship, especially after signing Andre Drummond after he reached a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers. 

The former All-Star big man finally gives the Lakers a true double-double threat at the center position and someone that they can lean on for production with James and Davis out. Los Angeles’ frontcourt has been a mess this season and with Marc Gasol not giving them the production they need, getting Drummond is a huge addition. 

While the Lakers will be fighting for a championship this season, there is still a lot of unknown about the future of this franchise, especially with the pending free agency of Dennis Schroder.

RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 4 players who benefitted the most from NBA trade deadline

Schroder is in a contract year and has made his intentions known that he wants to test his value in free agency, but he is still welcoming a possible return to the Lakers. There was a recent mention in NBA rumors regarding how Schroder declined a four-year, $84 million extension offer and the Lakers shopped him around before the NBA trade deadline as a result.

If they are unable to re-sign him though, where does this leave the Los Angeles Lakers and what should they look to do as a “backup plan” in case Schroder does leave in free agency? Let’s take a look at three plans the Lakers should have in place in the event that Dennis Schroder does not stay in L.A. this offseason.