Lakers Linked to 76ers Star Duo as ‘Best Fit’ Alongside Luka Doncic

The Los Angeles Lakers are gearing up to explore options for stars who can upgrade the roster under star point guard Luka Doncic.

The Lakers’ second-round sweep at the hands of the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder perhaps told general manager Rob Pelinka exactly what his team needs to reach the next gear. 

With roster building so delicate in the NBA nowadays, the Lakers, like many other teams, have to walk a tight rope in deciding what moves to make.

According to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, a pair of Philadelphia 76ers stars could be among the “best fits” for an L.A. team desperately hunting for depth. 

“A $13 million average salary is still below starter level, but [Kelly] Oubre would double his earnings from last season. The final season of the deal has a player option,” Marks wrote on ESPN.com.

Wrote Marks on Sixers star Quentin Grimes: “Barring a sign-and-trade, Grimes’ market could be teams that have the $15 million non-tax midlevel exception. The player option allows Grimes to enter free agency next offseason and reset the market when nearly half of the league’s teams are projected to have cap space.”

Lakers an Appealing Spot for Free Agents 

GettyLuka Doncic greets Deandre Ayton during a timeout

Oubre and Grimes, 30 and 26, respectively, are a pair of battle-tested role players who have shown they can excel in the playoffs.

They are not high-profile names but could make for a pair of ideal additions to a Lakers roster short on athleticism and spot-up shooting on the wings.

The allure of Doncic, the 27-year-old perennial NBA MVP candidate is more than enough to get star rotational players to entertain a Lakers offer. 

Oubre, a seasoned wing, could help tremendously with the Lakers’ lackluster perimeter defense. Grimes, the 26-year-old fearless guard, performed strongly for the Sixers in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

Although the Lakers’ bigger concern is filling out the frontcourt, they are watching an already grueling Western Conference finals battle between the Thunder and Spurs play out with both teams’ speed and athleticism jumping off the screen. L.A. needs some of those pieces.

Will the 76ers Look to Retain Both Stars?

GettyJoel Embiid #21, Dalen Terry #14 and Trendon Watford #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers talk during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the New York Knicks

The Sixers’ situation has been flummoxing for years. This was supposedly the Joel Embiid era, but that has blown up in smoke.

If Philadelphia looks to make an organizational pivot this summer, it won’t be surprising if it lets Oubre and Grimes walk in free agency.

The Lakers own future first-round picks and have options to structure deals for incoming talent this offseason. They have what it takes to make salaries work.

There is the LeBron James factor still weighing over the team; James’ decision matters hugely in the kind of flexibility the front office has to work with. James will be a free agent this summer; he could return on a smaller deal or head elsewhere, but the Lakers would ideally want to know what decision he makes, including possible retirement, soon.

It all comes back to building around Doncic, who will continue to be the centerpiece of the Lakers’ hopeful path to compete.

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