This offseason has been a definite disappointment for the Los Angeles Lakers, at least so far. More than a week into free agency, the only new players they have added have been Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, the two players they took in last month’s NBA draft.
Fans are frustrated at the lack of activity, and some are sounding the doom alarm, as they feel the Lakers will be, at best, a play-in tournament team this coming season.
But LeBron James, who just signed a new two-year contract to remain with the team, said in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he feels the Lakers can still win as is. When asked why he’s confident about that, he pointed to the experience he and Anthony Davis have together.
“We’ve done it before, and we still have two guys who commit every single day with myself and AD,” said James. “We commit to excellence and commit to win. And we feel like any situation, any given year, we can put ourselves in a position to be able to succeed. And we’re not that far off.”
James took slightly less than the maximum salary allowed on his new contract, which could enable the Lakers to have access to their taxpayer mid-level exception if they get rid of a couple of their players on minimum contracts via trade. Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie reportedly could be targets if the Lakers get to that point.
