It’s no secret that the Lakers are a fan-favorite NBA team. Despite the team’s struggles over the past several seasons, it has constantly dominated headlines and found itself on the national television schedule time and again. This offseason, the team is getting praise for retaining key contributors Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
One ESPN writer, however, is calling for fans to pump the brakes. While appearing on Get Up Monday morning, Tim Bontemps bluntly assessed Los Angeles’s offseason, and ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst also quieted the notion that the Lakers had made a big splash.
“The Lakers didn’t materially get better,” Bontemps said. “… To me, the Lakers didn’t add anybody that materially moved the needle closer [to an NBA championship].”
“The Lakers didn’t materially get better. … Everyone is acting like they had the greatest offseason of all time.”
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 3, 2023
—@TimBontemps pic.twitter.com/a4dA9L0dMJ
Los Angeles lost Dennis Schröder to the Raptors in free agency but replaced him with former Heat guard Gabe Vincent. The Lakers also added forwards Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish and re-signed forward Rui Hachimura. Bontemps went as far as to say that Vincent is “essentially the same” as Schröder, implying the move wasn’t an upgrade.
“Like Brian said, everyone’s acting like they had the greatest offseason of all time,” Bontemps continued. “I’m talking about championship equity. I just don’t think they got closer to that.”
The Lakers started the 2022–23 season 2–10, but thanks to several moves at the trade deadline, they rallied to finish the season with a 43–39 record. They went on to beat the No. 2-seed Grizzlies and reigning champion Warriors to reach the Western Conference finals, but they were swept in that series by the eventual-champion Nuggets.
It’s fair to say the Lakers will be considered a solid playoff contender in the uber-competitive Western Conference, but Bontemps doesn’t see them being any better this upcoming season.
