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3 in-house developments could lead to improvement this season

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1. Optimizing their lineups

Ham’s struggles with his starting five stemmed from his confusing decision to go away from groups that excelled during the Lakers’ trip to the Western Conference Finals, namely, surrounding D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Anthony Davis with one of Rui Hachimura or Jarred Vanderbilt.

2. Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent shore up the perimeter

With the duo back in the fold this season, the Lakers and Redick should benefit from having more options to turn to. Although they weren’t external additions, they will be useful additions to the roster nonetheless.

3. Max Christie takes a leap

Due to his ability to space the floor, Christie has also shown a knack for attacking hard closeouts and the rim with ferocity. Extra dimensions to his game that suggest more layers still to be revealed.

With Prince’s aforementioned departure and no additions to the wing core as of this article, Christie will be expected to step up and into his biggest role yet. How well he fares could end up being one of the biggest swing outcomes of the Lakers’ season.

Well that didn’t take long…

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After listening to Tom tell me how bananas I was for suggesting quality NBA players may not sign for the vet minimum but rather play for a lot more money overseas (and how that idea was stupid, I believe, his words lol) today we see that Pat Bev is considering playing overseas for a lot more money than the vet minimum.

Wow. How surprised am I? Zero, it doesn’t take a genius to understand (or I dunno, maybe it does and I’m a genius?) that these guys aren’t video game trade chips that just do whatever you want or tell them to do in your mind. They have a tremendous amount of pride, they have a small window to earn money playing a game, most of them aren’t all that worried about where the paycheck comes from. They do worry about the size.

So if you want to keep playing with other people’s money, feel free. It’s never really been a game that interests me. These guys will find paydays and some agents might get fired. The NBA free agency is like an ever more dangerous game of musical chairs. Money that was on the table 10 minutes ago is gone now, you sat too slowly.

I don’t believe Pat Bev will be the exception, I think that, at this point in the summer and seeing how most teams have zipped up the cap space, you can either choose the Schroeder Route (play overseas, rehab value, get in earlier the following summer, maybe do well in FIBA if at all possible).

La Melo played overseas rather college or the G-League. There is money to be made and no salary cap to strop you from maximizing what you believe your worth top be. You can play in a vacation destination like Spain or Australia all while playing a decent role for the game you love. Heck, you might be the “star” of the team.

This is the flip side of globalization, that good players aren’t forced to play for pennies. They do have options.

Patrick Beverley Weighing 'Historic' European Contract amid NBA Free Agency Offers

JJ Redick Gets Massive Vote of Confidence From Surprise Source

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the biggest storylines in the league over the past couple of weeks. Although they haven’t made any outside additions except for drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, the expectations for the group is still pretty high.

That’s what happens when you have LeBron James on the roster. The Lakers’ job is one of the toughest positions in the league. Although JJ Redick has never coached a single game in the NBA, he has received a boatload of confidence from Draftkings

They released Coach of the Year odds and Redick is currently tied with Boston’s Joe Mazzulla and Orlando’s Jamahl Mosley at +1000 as the favorite.

That is certainly surprising considering who he’s tied with. Mazzulla led the Celtics to a league-best 64-18 record and the 2024 NBA Championship. Meanwhile, Mosley has led a tremendous rebuild with the Magic, including a 47-35 record last season.

In addition, both of these men have experience as assistants in the league. As for Redick, he is known for his great basketball mind and intelligence. That in combination with having a dynamic duo of Anthony Davis and James is giving oddsmakers confidence that Redick will hit the ground running.

That is certainly a high bar for the 40-year-old to clear but it has been done before. Steve Kerr, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson, and even Larry Bird had success in the NBA with no coaching experience.

3 Trade Destinations for Utah Jazz Center Walker Kessler

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Lakers Assemble Formidable Defensive Frontcourt

Pairing Kessler with Anthony Davis would suffocate opposing big men

The L.A. Lakers are one team that should be in the market to add a more reliable frontcourt addition to shore up minutes next to Anthony Davis . As the franchise looks to put together one more championship run with LeBron James leading the charge, Kessler could help create a defensive identity for the Lakers while also providing another lob threat.

The third-year center would also be a good option as Los Angeles tries to bridge the gap between the team’s aging veterans and their younger talent. While the Lakers are not a team teeming with tradeable up-and-coming prospects, the franchise does retain most of their future first-round picks – which could have value once James retires.

Lakers-Jazz Potential Trade

Lakers receive:
-Walker Kessler

Jazz receive:
-Cam Reddish
-Maxwell Lewis
-Lottery-protected 2026 first-round pick

Despite Kessler’s shot-blocking prowess and defensive awareness, his limited offensive skillset puts a cap on his value. While the 7-foot center has proved efficient enough around the rim, he doesn’t provide much with the ball in his hands outside of point-blank attempts and dunks at the rim. With this in mind, two first-round picks seems like too rich of an ask for any team, especially one with an uncertain future.

The Jazz could receive a solid enough pick from Los Angeles in this scenario, with the possibility of the pick conveying even further in the future if the Lakers miss the playoffs in 2026. Cam Reddish , now 24 years old and possibly heading to his fifth team, has shown to be nothing more than a high-energy flyer at this point in his career.

For a team trying to win in the immediate future with arguably the league’s greatest player, a first-round pick is a small price to pay for the Lakers. Kessler would allow Davis to move back to his traditional position or serve as a backup, providing the team with extra frontcourt flexibility.