The Lakers now have a second star to pair with LeBron James after finally getting an Anthony Davis trade done with the Pelicans.
New Orleans will get three first round picks, including No. 4 this season, as well as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, which leaves the Lakers with a seriously depleted roster. Still, it was the move they had to make, and with significant cap space with which to play with this summer, they’re now in great position to acquire another star, with their eyes set on Kemba Walker.
Despite having basically just James, Davis, and Kyle Kuzma as impact players on the roster, and only five players total on guaranteed contracts, the expectation is for the Lakers to be the new team to beat in the West. According to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, they’re the favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship by a healthy margin.
2019-20 NBA Championship winner updated
LAL 3/1
Mil 6/1
LAC 7/1
Hou 8/1
Tor 10/1
GS, Phi 12/1
Bos, Den 16/1
OKC 20/1
Bkn 25/1
Utah, Por 30/1
Dal 40/1
NY 50/1
SA, Ind, NO 60/1
Orl, Atl 80/1
Mem, Chi, Sac, Phx 100/1
Det, Cha, Mia, Wsh, Cle, Min 200/1— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) June 15, 2019
L.A. vaults over the Bucks to 3-1 with the move, and expect that to climb slightly higher should they land Walker, Kyrie Irving, or Jimmy Butler in free agency. The biggest question that will face the Lakers if they do land another star is how they fill out the roster with depth around a Big 3. They’ll have to renounce rights to their current free agents to create a max slot, which means they’ll be forced to fill out a roster with exceptions and minimum contracts.
The top of the Lakers roster will certainly be as good as it gets in the NBA next season, but as we saw with the Warriors this year, how they create depth could be the difference in them fulfilling their role as title favorites or not.
