The Los Angeles Lakers have done a solid job of upgrading their roster given the circumstances heading into the NBA offseason. Without cap space to spend, the Lakers had to make do with some exceptions and veteran’s minimum deals.
Thus far they have used their mid-level exception on Lonnie Walker IV and signed Damian Jones to a two-year deal that has a player option for next season. Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson signed deals for the minimum as well.
That is a solid quartet of players given how little spending power the Lakers had. All four are upgrades for the rotation as the organization has done a total 180 when it comes to roster construction this offseason.
After signing numerous veterans that are beyond their prime, Los Angeles focused on younger guys that could break out in a bigger role, similar to Malik Monk last season.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Los Angeles Lakers’ Trade Pursuit For Nets’ Kyrie Irving Stalled?
If the Lakers want to continue upgrading the roster, making a trade is likely the route they will take. While the team would love to trade Russell Westbrook and break his contract up into multiple players, that may not be feasible.
So, they make a deal with one of their tradable contracts with the San Antonio Spurs to land Josh Richardson.