LeBron James (L) and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate winning the NBA Championship in the locker room after defeating the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida, October 11, 2020. /CFP
The Los Angeles Lakers re-signed Quinn Cook, announced Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the team on Friday.
That signing added a 15th member to the purple and gold's roster. There may be further changes in the future – it will be very hard since the Lakers' total salaries cannot surpass the hard cap after using the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to sign Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Matthews – but the team already have a steady rotation ready.
Marc Gasol #33 of the Toronto Raptors and Wesley Matthews of the Milwaukee Bucks both have joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA off season. /CFP
LeBron James, Matthews, Kyle Kuzma/Markieff Morris, Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol can make the starting-lineup. In this way, the purple and gold are able to keep their size advantage from the last season. Though they don't have the brilliant finishing and offensive rebounding ability of Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee, Gasol can offer something different. Offensively he can stretch out the floor both James and Davis as well as work around the free throw line to orchestrate. In defense, Gasol can give a hard time to Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and other giants so Davis can some more energy for offense and help defense.
On the bench, the Lakers have Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso, Harrell, Alfonzo McKinnie and Talen Horton-Tucker. Despite that they won the championship last season, it's no secret that the purple and gold lacked effective playmaker when James had to rest. That's why they had to rely on 34-year-old Rajon Rondo to lead the team from time to time.
Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dennis Schroder of the Oklahoma City Thunder both have joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA off season. /CFP
They don't have to do that any more thanks to the joining of Schroder and Harrell. Schroder has been an underestimated passer, especially for his assisting ability for rolling big man in screen plays. That skill will make it very pleasant for him to work with Harrell. Moreover, both have won the Sixth Man of the Year awards for their great scoring ability off the bench. Schroder's sharp penetration (and shooting) plus Harrell's posting up skills will enrich the offensive options of the Lakers' bench unit.
Usually they say champions don't need to change. The Lakers changed their squad by choice and so far every of Pelinka's moves seems to have made the team even better. Considering that most of the major competitors of them have not achieved much improvement, the chance of the purple and gold retaining the title only grows better.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives toward the rim in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at AdventHealth Arena, October 11, 2020. /CFP
However, is that the only thing the Lakers are after?
When James agreed to the two-year, $85-million contract extension offer this week, it's basically safe to say that he will end his career at the Staples Center. After all, he will turn 36-years-old in less than a month and his deal will last until 2023 summer.
What's truly interesting is Davis' choice to sign a five-year, $190-million deal with the Lakers. Everyone knows he will stay, the only question is what kind of contract he will agree to, or what way he will choose to maximize his interest.
Then he decided to go with the safest one. According to Davis himself, he accepted a five-year deal partly because of his concerns over his health. Moreover, the future of the NBA is becoming quite unpredictable because of the coronavirus. Safety understandably matters more to Davis.
Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers competes for the rebound in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at AdventHealth Arena, October 11, 2020. /CFP
That safety is mutual. After James and Davis decided to stay, the Lakers will have a consistent core pair for the future three years. It's true that the two big contracts exterminated the team's hope of landing another star in 2021 summer, but a stable duo, especially one that already claimed a title, is very attractive to quality role players. In spite of his greatness, the next three seasons are likely to be the drop of the curtain for him. Meanwhile, those three seasons will also witness the best years of Davis, who is 27 years old at the moment.
If the Lakers continue to make the right move like they did in the past year, James and Davis have a good chance of leading the team to a trilogy of championships, which only happened four times in NBA history. Everyone that did it – Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant – already had their names scratched on the wall for the All-Time greatest players. James already has a spot there, Davis can do it too, with another two rings - all the better in a row.