Heart Breaking: Just Now, Los Angeles Lakers Guard D’Angelo Russell died in a plane crash…

When it comes to their offseason, you have to give the Los Angeles Lakers this: We sure did talk about them a lot.

Los Angeles drove plenty of conversations thanks to LeBron James opting out and ultimately re-signing, the hiring of J.J. Redick as head coach, the arrival of Bronny James in the 2024 NBA draft, and the general questions over whether the front office would prioritize adding a third star.

Ultimately, appointing Redick was the biggest gamble the front office made.

General manager Rob Pelinka is counting on a new coach and squad continuity to propel the franchise forward.

That points to either a strong level of confidence in the current roster or a belief the ship has sailed on winning another title with the tandem of LeBron and Anthony Davis.

If it’s the latter, then mortgaging more of the future would be throwing good money after bad.

Because of the Lakers’ understated summer, the expectations are probably about as low as they’ve been since James first signed in 2018.

The Golden State Warriors finished one game ahead of the Lakers in 2022-23.

Last year, Los Angeles was one game ahead of Golden State.

It’s always noteworthy when James and Stephen Curry cross paths because of their shared history on the court and what they’ve meant to the NBA over the years.

Because of where the Warriors and Lakers are in the Western Conference hierarchy, these encounters also carry actual stakes when it comes to the standings.

Golden State decided chasing another title with Curry was more important than preserving its Big Three.