The Los Angeles Lakers are not expected to be a title contender next season, unless they make a blockbuster offseason move.
This is what Jovan Buha of The Athletic says, adding that the Lakers will be a bottom-tier playoff team if they keep Russell Westbrook.
“No, I don’t believe the Lakers, as currently constructed, can win a championship.
I think they can certainly make the playoffs, but I expect them to be a bottom-tier playoff team if [Russell] Westbrook is on the roster and playing (somewhere in the No. 6 to No. 9-seed range). If we compare their supporting cast to other top West teams, they fall significantly short,” Buha said.
The 17-time NBA champions signed Lonnie Walker, Thomas Bryant and Juan Toscano-Anderson in the offseason and aim to part ways with Westbrook and land another superstar.
At the same time, the franchise hopes LeBron James and Anthony Davis will remain healthy and will help the Lakers have a deep playoff run.
