Cavs are really not very good. Lebron and the pips at this point
Even though I hate them, the Lakeshow's energy and youth make them a very fun team to watch. Even if they don't get Lebron/PG13 next season, they should be in the playoff mix. That is of course if they keep the guys who are going to be free agents.
I really don't think they will. Even if they don't get a max guy or 2 this summer, I think they'll save that space for 2019 and go for it again next year. That's basically what Magic has said they are going to do. I think all or most of IT, Randle, Lopez, and Caldwell Pope are gone next season.
So what's to stop them from giving big one year deals (like what they gave KCP) to those guys sans Randle in case they miss out on those max guys? Lakers are one of the few teams that have cap room to do that. I could also see them re-signing Randle and then just trading him in case a superstar does sign with them. The cap crunch benefits them a lot with restricted free agency and he's been phenomenal for them lately.
I could also see them trading Deng along with the Cavs pick this year to a team like Sacramento for Iman Shumpert and Kosta Koufos to open up even more cap room next season.
The Lakers have a lot of options at their disposal. If it weren't for the Celtics being in a much better position than them going forward, I'd be kinda jealous.
I don't think those guys are looking for 1 year deals. Maybe Lopez, but not Randle, IT, and KCP.
You do know about cap crunch, right? That practically nobody has money this off-season to spend, which hurts every free agent this year that's not a star?
Yes, those guys would prefer not to sign 1 year deals, but their market is pretty tiny because again, hardly anyone in the league has the money to give them what they would want, and the ones that have the cap room won't want to pay top dollar for IT, KCP, or Lopez. The most they can look forward to on the open market is 6-8 million per. The Lakers are one of the few teams that can offer a high salary even if its one year.
And I already said sans Randle, who I think the Lakers should re-sign if they miss out on their primary targets. The cap crunch screws over restricted free agents the most. Randle, despite how well he's played, is no exception.
I think it would be hard not to accept a one-year deal worth 16-20 million in this market. That way, you can prove that you are worth a bigger deal in the future and better teams will probably work to have the open cap room for next season.