The offseason isn’t over, exactly, but the free-agent frenzy essentially is. Aside from Kawhi Leonard, who does absolutely everything at his own pace, all of the top-tier players are off the board. Here are some notes about what’s happened, starting with the remade Los Angeles Lakers:
How weird will the Lakers get?
Well, the Lakers are completely different. Just four players are back from last season’s roster, and of the eight players who were in the rotation by the end of the 2020 NBA Finals, only LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain. (Also, Dwight Howard, who was out of the rotation, has returned for his third stint as a Laker.)
Next to James, Davis, Marc Gasol, Talen-Horton Tucker and Howard are Russell Westbrook and a whole bunch of guys who can shoot 3s: Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Kendrick Nunn and Carmelo Anthony.