The Lakers had a very exciting 2021 offseason when they acquired Russell Westbrook and signed many big-named veterans to minimum deals. The reality of the team far outweighed their expectations as their season slowly dug into lower lows.
Their roster construction had an extremely high downside associated and it’s safe to say they experience one of the worst-case scenario outcomes, especially since it impacted their flexibility to improve the roster this offseason. The Lakers made some moves to address needs and improve their depth, but it’s hard to say if they will get back into the playoff mix, especially with the Western Conference getting stronger.