Lakers could leave the 76ers crying after their grand offseason plan reveal

No team in the NBA stands to face a more drastic roster turnover this summer than the Philadelphia 76ers, owners of the second-biggest cap space in the league and home to a surplus of outgoing free agents and hence, open roster spots.

The 76ers aren’t eyeing to simply fill those spots, though. All year long, the front office has preserved cap space to fulfill the glaring directive to get another star, one who can thrive next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and potentially win the championship for Philadelphia.

No one is expecting a smooth sailing in their quest for that third star, but one team that could end up being a thorn on their side, at least for one of their rumored targets, is the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 76ers definitely won’t like the Lakers’ plan to trade for Donovan Mitchell

Home to a team that’s more ambitious than any other in the association, Los Angeles is reportedly targeting Donovan Mitchell, a noted 76ers target, as their No. 1 priority this offseason in light of rumors that the Cleveland Cavaliers may not be able to convince the All-Star into signing an extension with the franchise.

The Athletic’s Jovan Buha indicated that the Lakers are prepared to go full-throttle on their pursuit of Mitchell as long as he decides not to remain in Cleveland any longer. LA can offer up to three first-rounders for the explosive guard, in addition to other players for salary-matching reasons.

Why should the 76ers fret when they have even more draft capital to spare? Well, unlike the Lakers, Philly doesn’t have any players to trade (save for the obvious ones and, well, Paul Reed). The Cavaliers are not built to reboot, and in a hypothetical scenario where they warm up to the idea of trading Mitchell after failing to secure his long-term commitment, they are much more likely to demand pieces than can also help them win now.

Cleveland doesn’t appear close to securing Donovan Mitchell’s services beyond next season, and should both parties fail to figure out a way to an extension, the Philadelphia 76ers have to get ultra-creative and aggressive as the Los Angeles Lakers will certainly exhaust all options to one-up them and other bidders.