Who is the Lakers’ third-best player? It’s a complicated question night-to-night, but one that has left opponents guessing, too. @PaoloUggetti: https://t.co/iQgGnBzwyW
— The Ringer (@ringer) October 9, 2020
Who is Los Angeles’s third-best player? Depends on the night. While a third star has its obvious advantages, the absence of one has left opponents guessing.
The lesson of this season’s Lakers—beyond, you know, having two of the best five players in the league is pretty good—may be that that third star can be a collective as opposed to an individual. With the league’s financial future up in the air, it will be a lot easier to build around a star duo than a Big Three and stay under the cap. In addition, no NBA star seems to be imminently available this offseason unless you believe Victor Oladipo or Bradley Beal will demand out. And so executives will have to hope they can strike on the margins.
The scary twist on this whole scenario is that the Lakers can and likely will improve their likely title-winning supporting cast this winter. No one is on long-term contracts, and the free-agent market will be ripe with peripheral talent even if money might be scarce. Want to play alongside LeBron and Davis, boost your numbers, and have a chance to win a ring? How does that and this one-year deal sound, Jerami Grant?
The Lakers may get that Big Three this offseason.