Lakers Roster 2018-2019: Who Will LeBron James Play With During His First Season In Los Angeles?

When the NBA Finals came to an end on June 8, there was plenty of speculation regarding what the Los Angeles Lakers' roster might look like for the next season. It appeared that LeBron James had played his last game with the Cleveland Cavaliers and would head to L.A. for the 2018-2019 season.

Who would join the league’s best player and sign with the Lakers? Paul George was the leading candidate, but he decided to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles seemed like a potential destination for Kawhi Leonard when he requested a trade, but the San Antonio Spurs sent their superstar to the Toronto Raptors.

L.A. signed a few notable names this offseason, though the additions were more confusing than anything else. James is the only player on the roster that made last year’s All-Star team, and he’s the only Laker that’s been an All-Star at any point in the last five years.

Rajon Rondo is Los Angeles’ only other former All-Star, having made the team with the Boston Celtics each year from 2010-2013. He signed a one-year, $9 million contract with L.A.

Rondo was one of several veterans that got one-year deals from the Lakers after James announced his intention to leave Cleveland. JaVale McGee will play for the veteran’s minimum, and Lance Stephenson took the team’s mid-level exception worth $4.4 million. Michael Beasley is the latest addition to the club.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is also coming back to the team on a one-year, $12 million contract.

The short-term contracts will allow the Lakers to add another max salary player in the 2019 offseason. Superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler are set to hit free agency next year, and pairing one of them with James could turn the Lakers into a championship contender.

Los Angeles’ current roster isn’t good enough to compete with the Golden State Warriors. Expectations for James’ team are lower than they have been in years.

It’s unknown exactly how the Lakers’ new veterans will fit around James. Many of them have playoff experience—something the rest of the roster lacks—but their best days are behind them.

Stephenson and McGee had moments in the 2018 postseason, but neither one was very good in the regular season. Beasley averaged 13.2 points per game for a bad New York Knicks’ team and remains a poor defender.

Rondo is the best player the Lakers added to play alongside James, though his skill set isn’t exactly one that complements that of the NBA’s top star. Rondo is a ball-dominant point guard with a poor outside shot, and he could take away minutes from Lonzo Ball.

The Lakers’ ceiling for next year will largely be determined by what they get from their young players. Ball and Brandon Ingram could be future All-Stars after being selected with the No.2 overall pick in back-to-back years. Kyle Kuzma returns after an All-Rookie First Team season, and 2017 first-round pick Josh Hart was named this year’s Summer League MVP.

Both of the team’s 2018 draft picks have a chance to contribute next season. First-round selection Moritz Wagner led Michigan to last season’s national title game, and second-round pick Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was impressive in Summer League.

Ivica Zubac is also under contract with the Lakers. He was taken by the team in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft as a 19-year-old and has played in just 81 NBA games.

Luol Deng is the final Laker with a guaranteed contract next season. He’s actually the team’s second-highest paid player with an $18 million salary, though he probably won’t make much of a contribution. The 33-year-old played one game last season.

A lot can happen over the next few months—especially in the weeks leading up to the 2019 NBA trade deadline—but the Lakers’ roster could remain largely the same. James will have his work cut for him while playing in a loaded Western Conference.