Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and team president Magic Johnson have a clear goal: Get two superstars to play with their current core.
From ESPN.com’s Baxter Holmes:
“There’s just a renewed energy around here,” Pelinka said. “We feel it in the offices every day. We felt through this draft process. I think clearly with Earvin’s vision and just his persona, I think the organization is really taking on that positive joy that he seems to live with every day. I think players around the NBA feel that as well and are going to be attracted to that energy here.
“We know the goal here is to compete for championships. That’s what we want to do. I think with the leading teams in the league today, we felt like, to be able to look them in the eye and challenge them, we need two superstar players to come here and join this platform and join our core group of players we now have. That’s our plan, and we’re going to put all of our energy and all of our hard work toward that.”
This isn’t an outrageous thing to say. Pelinka isn’t implying the Lakers will trade everyone to get established marquee names. At the same time, snagging two superstars isn’t going to be easy.
Paul George already wants to join the cause, but the Lakers cannot guarantee he’ll end up in Hollywood if he gets traded elsewhere. They’re currently in line for $50 million in cap space next summer if they renounce Julius Randle or dump Clarkson, and that number will jump past $55 million should they find a taker for Deng’s deal.
And that’s what Pelinka was likely referring to. He and Johnson will have the flexibility to carve out two max-contract slots in 2018 without touching Lonzo Ball or Brandon Ingram, who represent the core more than anyone else. Granted, this is the easy part—creating the flexibility. The Lakers now have to turn their wiggle room into a pair of big-time talents, which figures to be a much harder undertaking.
