LeBron James welcomes his old and new teammates to the LA Lakers after a stunning free agency showing by Rob Pelinka
LeBron James will hardly have any complaints after what LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka did once the 2023 NBA free agency opened. Most analysts gave Pelinka an A+ for nailing the offseason.
“King James” showed satisfaction with the deals by posting a series of Instagram posts (via BBC Sports Cards):
Lebron James Instagram Story https://t.co/4sfgBRLTZb
The first three posts featured Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell. Pelinka’s shrewd maneuvering allowed the Lakers to retain all of their free agents.
The next series of posts had Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish. They are players the Lakers were able to grab off the free-agent market.
LeBron James claimed after his team was eliminated by the Denver Nuggets that he’s not content with conference finals. The four-time MVP threw subtle shots at the Lakers’ front office on several occasions last season to build a better roster around him.
Pelinka came through at the February trade deadline. He traded Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn in separate deals. The LA Lakers received Mo Bamba, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell.
The series of moves turned a team that started 2-10 into a playoff unit. They had the best record since the trade deadline and pulled two upsets in the offseason. Only the juggernaut Denver Nuggets behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray kept them from reaching the NBA Finals.
LeBron James now has a stronger, more balanced and deeper team than the one he had last season. This version of the LA Lakers is the best in James’ tenure in Hollywood since the 2020 championship team.
Lakers updated depth chart
PG: D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino
SG: Austin Reaves*, Max Christie
SF: LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince
PF: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes
ROB PELINKA MASTERCLASS 🔥 https://t.co/rD5CqaToJs
LA has depth across all positions and they’re not even past the luxury tax threshold. In what could be James’ last season with the team, the Lakers are giving him a supporting cast that could help him win another championship.
The health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will still determine how far the LA Lakers will go next season
The supporting cast Rob Pelinka built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis is enviable. They have size and length across all positions and have decent shooting as well. Pelinka added players who are not at the tail-end of their careers but with something to prove.
Despite the improved roster, all the changes can go for naught if Anthony Davis or LeBron James can’t stay healthy. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was bothered with a myriad of foot and ankle problems last season. He also had to deal with a groin injury that kept him out for two weeks.
“King James” injured his right foot, which caused him to miss 13 games during the crucial stretch of the regular season. James escaped from a season-ending injury and claimed that doctors told him he healed faster than anyone who has ever had that kind of injury.
LeBron James says his foot injury was actually a torn tendon, via @jovanbuha.
The doctors said he healed from the injury faster than “they’ve ever seen.” https://t.co/Kq97NEkpRH
A few days after getting booted out by the Nuggets, LeBron James' camp said that he played through the injury. He might need to undergo surgery in the off-season.
BREAKING: LeBron James played through the entire 2023 playoffs with a torn tendon in his foot -- surgery may be need this off-season.
(via @ShamsCharania) https://t.co/5MxEKxFNlu
Anthony Davis also had a foot injury that sidelined him for over a month. Like James, he escaped surgery. AD played mostly healthy after returning from the said ailment. Still, fans were wondering if he played through pain as he couldn’t string together great performances in the playoffs.
L.A. Lakers star big man Anthony Davis will return to the lineup Wednesday vs. SAS, barring any setback during his pregame warmup, league sources told ESPN. He will be back in the lineup 5 1/2 weeks after suffering a fractured bone spur and stress reaction in his right foot
If both suffer the same kind of misfortune next season, the LA Lakers’ improved roster can help them stay afloat. It remains to be seen if they can make the playoffs or how far they’ll go if one or both superstars are compromised.