On July 4th, according to insider Woj, the Lakers will not engage in a significant trade. They believe that the three-star model is not viable under the current salary cap rules.
Woj stated, “The Lakers will be making some peripheral moves, including signing veteran minimum players. They are not interested in attaching draft picks to move players off their roster. If a player emerges as a suitable piece for a larger deal, they would certainly use their picks to facilitate a trade, but currently, they are not involved in any transactions that would land them a third star. The team feels that the three-star setup doesn’t work within the context of today’s salary cap restrictions.”
It’s worth noting that the Lakers have made the playoffs via the play-in tournament three times in the past four years, defeating the Pelicans this year, the Timberwolves last year, and the Warriors in 2021, all as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. With no major roster changes and their core duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis another year older, do you think the Lakers will have to go through the play-in tournament again next season?