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‘This Is a Great Organization’: Ben McLemore Opens Up About Future With Los Angeles Lakers

Published 06/15/2021, 10:40 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Things were not looking good for the Los Angeles Lakers after their loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns swept past the Lakers to advance to the next round in this year’s playoff series. Notably, this is the first time LeBron James lost in the first round of a playoff series in his illustrious career. Anthony Davis’s niggling injuries meant that the road ahead was tough. However, the Los Angeles-based franchise will look to add some scorers to help them get past the other teams, next season.

Meanwhile, Ben McLemore is one of those players who might not feature in next season’s lineup.

USA Today via Reuters

Ben McLemore to part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers

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In a recent interview, he spoke about the possibility of exploring the free agency while suggesting his Lakers career is coming to an end. He spoke about the opportunity he had to play for the Lakers.

“They gave me a great opportunity to be here and be part of this great organization. I did exactly what they expected me to do. We definitely had high expectations and obviously, last night was tough — it’s going to be tough for a while — but this is a great organization that’s bounced back from things like this before,” said Ben.

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Safe to say that his career has not peaked, ever since he moved to Los Angeles.

The franchise is looking to add pieces to their current roster to contend for the NBA title next season. Losing McLemore next season won’t be a problem. However, GM Rob Pelinka has a job on his hand to complement Anthony Davis and LeBron James. While James is getting older, the Lakers organization needs to build a team around AD to have a better chance of winning the title as he will be their key man.

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Bringing in young talents or veteran experienced players will be the agenda on cards for Lakers’ GM this season. The over-dependence on Anthony Davis seems to be a mistake as he is struggling with different injuries. ESPN analyst, Dave McMenamin analyzed the team’s problems of not having enough offensive scorers on the team.

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Because they have two superstars on their team, the organization will find it tough to add more players to the roster. However, there are some interesting options that might fit with the cap space regulations in mind.

Kyle Lowry is a potential target along with Myles Turner. Buddy Hield is another player to be added to the mix because of his energy and dynamism on the court. But to bring in quality players, there needs to be a balance in the checkbooks. Likewise, we expect players like Kyle Kuzma and Andre Drummond to leave the franchise after their disappointing performances this season.

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This season has not gone down well and they will look to get a fit, Anthony Davis, back on the court. Despite their problems, the Lakers are the team to beat because they have LeBron James in their line-up. Will James finally get his hands on a 5th NBA title?

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy

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Jacob Gijy is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the centre the respect he deserves.
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