Assuming the Lakers are able to retain James, they'll be right back on the championship-or-bust grading scale for the 2024-25 campaign.
So, how they piece together a championship-or-bust roster on a relatively limited budget? Great question.
It's maybe a 50-50 proposition that the draft delivers a rotation-ready player from the No. 17 pick, and those odds might be generous. The Lakers could always trade out of that spot, obviously, but it sounds like plenty of picks are available this year, so it's hard to say what caliber of veteran that pick might actually bring back.
Funds for free agency will be limited unless James heads elsewhere, in which case the whole blueprint would be set ablaze. Trades are an option, but it sure feels like there are significantly more buyers than sellers, so who knows what's possible in this market.
The Lakers aren't hopeless. If James, they'll have one of the league's better star pairings. This supporting cast is decent and could be strengthened on the margins even on this budget. Reddick has a genius-level basketball mind, and maybe he could squeeze more out of the returning players than his predecessor.
And yet, it's still a monumental task to get this team on a title track.
