Are the Lakers Trying To Win? One National Writer Questions Approach

Matt Levine | Jul 26, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers offseason has been fairly inactive, other than the team resigning a few of its players. Following an early playoff exit, the Lakers were expected to be one of the busiest teams this summer but so far, that hasn't been the case

Los Angeles has tried to land some talented players but to no avail. The reach of the Lakers seems to be growing less and less each season despite the history of the franchise.

The team still has stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, giving them a chance each time out. In addition, Los Angeles replaced Darvin Ham with head coach JJ Redick, who the team believes can maximize the current group.

But this has led some to believe that the team doesn't have its full sights on winning. National NBA writer Howard Beck appeared on the Rich Eisen Show and had some interesting comments about the Lakers. Beck questioned whether the team was even trying to win another championship with James on the roster.

“Are the Lakers even trying to win another championship with LeBron James on the roster? Because I don’t think it’s clear that they are,” said Beck, per the Rich Eisen Show on YouTube. “…They needed more, they needed more fire power, they needed more help on the wing, they needed more defense, they need more shooting. This team is not built to contend, it wasn’t built to contend last season, and they've done absolutely nothing to change that… Lakers exceptionalism is a thing, but their actions have not shown that this offseason. They've done absolutely nothing to indicate that they can or expect to compete for titles.”

Where things are, the Lakers are likely a play-in team once again. But this would also be determined if the two stars can stay healthy again. 

Last season, both James and Davis had relatively healthy years and the Lakers still finished toward the bottom eight in the Western Conference. It will be a tall task for the Lakers to compete for a title unless they have some significant moves coming down the pipeline this summer.

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