Heading into the offseason the Los Angeles Lakers were sitting pretty.
Not only did they have the second pick in the draft, but also Los Angeles was sitting on an abundance of cap space (they’re more than $30 million below the cap) and had the financial means to offer a max deal to any free agent.
Adding a star through the draft and at least one through free agency should have been the minimum for the team’s offseason—and after getting future star D'Angelo Russell in the draft, the free agency part seemed like a slam dunk.
After all, they seemed to have a lot to sell.
Arguably, the Lakers are the NBA’s premier franchise with 16 championships (only Boston has more with 17), 31 conference titles, numerous Hall-of-Famers, and a fan base with more A-list celebrities than the rest of the league combined. This is the same franchise that convinced Shaquille O'Neal to leave Orlando in 1996.
