Lakers News: LA's Backend Roster Spots Cause Big Mess For Team

Executives, coaches, scouts, and agents agreed the current Lakers' roster is not capable of winning an NBA championship this year.

Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers have yet to make any big-time roster moves this offseason. The only changes in the Los Angeles franchise include the additions of new head coach J.J. Redick, rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, and resigning free agents LeBron James and Max Christie. 

At the NBA Summer League, a group of NBA front-office executives, coaches, scouts, and agents answered polls about the upcoming season. A hot topic was the Lakers roster, which many of these people believed needs to be upgraded if Los Angeles wants a chance to at a successful postseason, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. 

Buha added that none of the people thought the Lakers could win an NBA championship this season with their current roster.

"The presence of developmental projects like Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis and Bronny James, have created a rough backend to the Lakers’ roster," Buha notes. "The team has several players who appear unlikely to contribute meaningfully next season and wouldn’t be in the rotations of most playoff teams.”

While Hood-Schifino and Lewis were drafted in the 2023 NBA draft, James is entering his rookie season. These young players have little to no experience at the professional level, making it unlikely they will reach their full potential anytime this season.

In addition to the inexperience of the young trio, D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish limit funding and space on the roster for potential trade targets. The quartet was given second-year player options last summer. The Athletic’s Johan Buva included Wood, Hayes, and Reddish as part of the “rough backend of the Lakers’ roster”.

But, the Lakers have limited options when it comes to upgrading their roster.

The Lakers has a full 15-player roster, all with guaranteed contracts. This leaves the franchise approximately $45,000 below the $189 million second apron, which eliminates the possibility of signing a free agent or adding an additional player. All they have to offer in a trade is two first round picks along with one first round and one second round swap.

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