The Los Angeles Lakers made some major splash moves this offseason that was headlined by the addition of All-Star forward LeBron James on a four-year, $153 million deal.
In a recent panel grading of the offseason moves conducted by ESPN, the Lakers are placed tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best mark in the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors had the best summer, according to @kpelton. pic.twitter.com/ugbaPMtndI
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 29, 2018
The addition of James has the potential to change the entire outlook for the Lakers after going through five straight campaigns missing the playoffs, which is the longest playoff drought in franchise history. The 33-year-old is still playing some of the best basketball of his career after averaging 27.5 points on 54.2 percent shooting from the field along with a career-best 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds per contest.
Los Angeles also added some other proven talent to the mix with Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, and Michael Beasley that should help that shift in the right direction. Although these are not the same caliber of players near James, these additions should help bring much-needed stability to the roster while helping provide guidance to their young core group.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have added a star player to the mix with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to their stacked roster. Cousins may be coming off a torn Achilles tendon in January, but there is potential for him to become more a major piece of the puzzle once he returns to the court. At this point, there is still much uncertainty surrounding Cousins if he can recapture his All-Star form after this possible career-altering injury.
Beyond that, these moves have set up for what should be a highly entertaining 2018-19 season.
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