It has been a riveting few days in the city of Los Angeles. In particular, the attention lens has narrowed to the Los Angeles Lakers. During the historic two-day draft, their process of choosing Bronny James invited wild opinions. That came atop the fact that next season a novice head coach in JJ Redick is tasked to lead the mighty organization. Even though it’s early, the roster is gradually shaping up for the next season. The front office is still awaiting the decision of LeBron James, but his celebration for his elder son suggests he will stick around in LA for a while.

While James’ allegiance is of paramount importance, some vital developments did take place in the countdown of his decision. Notably, D’Angelo Russell opted into his $18.7 million player option to continue as a Laker for next season. “I love what JJ is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level”, he said on returning next season to Dave McMenamin.

From last season, the Laker Nation has shared a complicated repo with the former Nets point guard, showing mixed emotions over him being a part of the squad. Additionally, backup big Jaxson Hayes also pledged another year to the Lakers by choosing his $2.5 million player option.

This only leaves LeBron James and Cam Reddish as the undecided members of last year’s squad. The former will without a grain of thought now opt out of his current deal to sign a longer extension with the Purple and Gold. Reddish, like Hayes signed a veteran minimum but showed significant promise as part of the spacing unit for the Lakers. He might also opt out and pursue a larger contract, preferably one offered by the Lakers.

This brings the Lakers to ten players signed for the next season excluding their draft picks. However, will their roster sheet stay the same? Some fans might have been later seeing D’Lo opt into an extra year but for many, it seems like an indication of an impending trade. The Lakers’ prioritized offseason goal was to add another significant contributor, a third star in essence. With Russell’s $18.7 million, the Lakers can explore the market and fetch a valuable component for next season to position them as hopeful contenders for next season.

Who can the Lakers target in the 2024-25 free agency

From a brief look at last year’s roster, a glaring weakness of the Lakers was their defense. Austin Reaves, even though a captivating talent couldn’t withstand the pace of the modern-day guards. It instilled an urgency to reinforce themselves on that end of the floor. A desirable target was the Atlanta Hawks’ Dejounte Murray. However, only a day ago he was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans squashing the Lakers’ dreams.

There is a variety of guards still available on the market. In the coming weeks, the Purple and Gold might put on their business hats. Combo guards are limited but still available. The Lakers could potentially go for the Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell who might just be made open for talks or even Trae Young since the Hawks seem committed to speeding the rebuilding process.

Another interesting direction they could go is to get Zach Lavine from the Chicago Bulls. The only trouble is his trade value is ludicrous. Taking up the final three years of his $215 extension seems to be an overpayment. But the returns are considerable. Lavine brings a colorful array of scoring while also being an active defensive troubler. His contract aligns with that of Anthony Davis, ensuring a viable future after the LeBron James era.

Do you think the Lakers will trade Russell in exchange for another superstar or will they allow him to develop under a sharpshooter like JJ Redick? Let us know what you think in the comments below.