Lakers Need To Figure Out Who Stays After Disastrous NBA Season

DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs in action against the Miami Heat during the first half of the preseason game at American Airlines Arena on October 08, 2019 in Miami, Florida.

The Los Angeles Lakers' back-to-back NBA title hopes have officially been dashed after bowing to the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the first-round Western Conference.

It is also the first time that LeBron James was eliminated in the preliminary round of his storied NBA career.

Since the start of the NBA playoffs, odds were stacked against the defending champions.

Finishing as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers needed to pull out everything to win the crown once more.

But a less-than-100% duo of James and Anthony Davis was too much to bear. They had a talented roster to back the two stars up, but that never materialized.

Hence, general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Frank Vogel will have to go back to the drawing board and plan their next moves.

Aside from James and Davis, the only other players sure of returning are Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marc Gasol.

Montrezl Harrell could still return, assuming he picks up his player option with the franchise.

But as for Dennis Schroder, Ben McLemore, Andre Drummond, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker, there is no telling what their fate will be in the offseason.

Of those names, Schroder will be closely monitored. The German guard bypassed a four-year $84 million extension although the move was said to be part of an even bigger plan.

Schroder previously stated that he wanted to be a Laker for a long time but just wanted a fair shake.

But the first-round disappointment could change all that.

Before the NBA elimination, pundits also caught a glimpse of Schroder removing the “PG” for the Lakers on his Instagram bio.

Some felt it was a sign of things to come, possibly an exit this offseason.

As for Drummond, he is reportedly someone the Lakers want to keep and seen as a building block for the future.

The Lakers could explore the free-agent market. One name that has cropped up is DeMar DeRozan.

A potential trade package involving Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope and a future pick in 2027 seems plausible.

However, taking in the 31-year-old this offseason will still depend on personnel movement.

DeRozan could be a sensible addition, especially considering the improvements he got while under the watch of San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

No less than Toronto Raptors SuperFan Nav Bhatia told him this after he was traded by the Raptors to the Spurs during an interview on Sports For All PH.

“I tell you, one of the unselfish players. I cried when he [DeRozan] was traded. I also told him coach [Gregg] Popovich is going to take his game to the next level,” Bhatia stated.