The Boston Celtics will definitely have some questions to answer, both currently and in the future, but while they have their uncertainty, their mortal enemy, the Los Angeles Lakers, doesn't exactly have the clearest direction after the moves they've made this offseason.
It was definitely hard enough for them to lose LeBron James, who may not be at his peak, but is still extremely hard to replace, but their most integral moves of the offseaosn have been re-signing Austin Reaves and paying good money for Walker Kessler.
Neither of those players are bad, but they are the Lakers' second and third-best players next to Luka Doncic. So that begs two questions: is Reaves a title contender's second-best player? Is Kessler a title contender's third-best player? It feels like there's not much data to support that.
That can be a problem with the Lakers now getting Luka in his prime. While he is a master of his craft, he needs the right team around him. Reaves and Kessler are not bad, but the Lakers tied up a lot of money to the two of them.
Yes, it's frustrating to see the Celtics tear themselves down as much as they have since winning Banner 18, but at least they still have options for improvement down the line, even if it's not right away. Not only are the Lakers running out of cap flexibility, but thanks to the Kessler trade, they are fresh out of draft assets too.
All of this is to say, from the Lakers' makeup, they're not title contenders, and they're not even close.
Then again, the Lakers have a reputation for getting bailed out
For some reason, the Lakers tend to just have things fall into their lap when things have gone awry. When Kobe wanted out in 2007, a few months later, they get Pau Gasol. Problem solved.
When it looked like the Kobe era had run its course, they got Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. That went the other way in the end, but still, everyone thought those moves would salvage that chapter.
When it felt like the Lakers were directionless, LeBron James fell right into their lap, then Anthony Davis followed suit. Even when that era got bleak, they then managed to get Luka Doncic in what is hailed as one of the worst NBA trades ever.
So, even with their limited abilities with their current roster, the Lakers just always seem to get that lifeline that gets them back on track. No one knows how that will happen, but it always just seems to work out for them.
For the time being, even with everything happening for Boston this summer, it's safe to suggest they are in a better place long term than Los Angeles is.
Add us as a preferred source on Google