Los Angeles Lakers reported Jovan Buha recently went on his show, Buha's Block, and voiced an interesting opinion about the team. It's his belief that the Lakers are just one trade for another two-way wing away from being in the top tier of championship contenders in the NBA this coing season.
He says that right now, he has LA in the second tier of contenders. But if they make the right move, he says, they can vault themselves up into the top tier with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
Overall, I think Jovan makes a solid point here. It would be hard to say the Lakers are already among the top championship contenders in the association as of right now. Yes, they have Luka Doncic now, but you've got to see the on-court results come together before you can realistically say they're ready to take over.
Losing in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs last season makes it difficult to say that they should be considered a tier-one contender as is. Even the offseason additions LA has made aren't enough to truly make the national audience see them as the same kind of threat as say the Nuggets.
The Lakers can become a tier-one contender with the right move
But at the same time, the roster is currently strong enough that Buha's assertion that the right addition would bring everything together feels fair. It's obvious that the Lakers now have a stronger squad that's suited to maximize Luka Doncic's talent, and the roster is no longer built to favor LeBron James specifically.
You've got Deandre Ayton acting as a strong pick-and-roll partner for Luka and a big paint presence on the interior. Then on the perimeter, Marcus Smart will come in and serve as a strong point-of-attack defender who can knock down timely shots.
If you add a reputable guy who can play off of Luka's creation abilities and knock down open threes offensively and be a stabilizing force defensively as well, the Lakers will be in an increasingly positive position.
At that point, I don't think it's misplaced at all to think of LA in the category of a legitimate championship contender. The Lakers can look to add a guy of this caliber sometime in the upcoming season ahead of the trade deadline.