5 players who may not return to the LA Lakers roster for the 2021-22 season
After securing yet another NBA title in the bubble last year, the LA Lakers' 2020-21 campaign was not as successful. Injuries derailed their playoff hopes and they crashed out in the first-round to the Phoenix Suns.
With a long offseason ahead of them, the Lakers have time to recuperate and some major decisions to make if they want to be title favorites again. The roster currently consists of seven players who are unrestricted free agents, three who are restricted free agents and Montrezl Harrell, who has a player option in his contract.
Therefore, despite a lot of changes to their squad this year, the Lakers were unable to properly bond during the regular season. As a result, the organization may have to go through it all again. In this article, we will outline five players who may not return to the LA Lakers after the summer.
5 players who could part ways with the LA Lakers in the 2021 offseason
#1 Montrezl Harrell
What was meant to be a beneficial trade for both sides soon turned sour in the playoffs when Montrezl Harrell voiced his frustrations in cryptic fashion at his lack of minutes. The former Sixth Man of the Year moved from the LA Clippers to inject energy into the reigning champions' second unit. While he was efficient in the regular season, Frank Vogel turned to his other options in the playoffs.
Harrell has a player option in his two-year contract with the LA Lakers and could opt out of it to test the free agency market. He would certainly garner a lot of interest around the league with teams looking to utilize him in small-ball lineups off the bench for points and rebounds. Few role players have provided the level of consistency the 27-year-old has had over the last three seasons, therefore he would be a great pickup for any title contender.
#2 Kyle Kuzma
With the NBA offseason having started for almost every team, NBA rumours have repeatedly seen Kyle Kuzma's name come up. The Lakers forward continued in his role off the bench this year and helped in providing a spark at times and rebounding the ball consistently.
However, per 36 minutes, it was the 25-year-old's lowest points output of his four-year career so far and he had severe struggles in the playoffs. Kyle Kuzma scored 6.3 points and grabbed 3.8 rebounds in 21 minutes per game in the LA Lakers' series with the Phoenix Suns. He shot the ball at just 29% from the field and 17% from downtown. Both numbers were far below his accuracy in the bubble last year.
The LA Lakers organization may have run out of time in waiting for Kuzma's promise to come to fruition. They will be looking at the trade packages they can put together to bring in another star alongside LeBron James and AD.