They really doubled down on the talent they had and thought to develop it. Bam is a guy that you can do that with because he already had the defense part down with a budding offensive game last year. I'm not as high with Duncan, though he has a higher ceiling from what I've seen than Herro. Herro doesn't have a reliable 3 point shot which is what would separate him from a guy you would hold onto with both hands. Kendrick Nunn, to me, is a keeper for me over Herro but I would not say no to a good enough trade return. Ariza has been ok, but he doesn't have the solid presence that Crowder brings IMO. They should have went with Harden when he demanded his trade from Houston. They probably thought they could replicate his output by committee.

Unfortunately, there was no last summer with the janky covid season. An abbreviated free agency that was far from normal. Off the top of my head, I can't remember huge offseason pickups other than Jrue and CP3. Maybe Dwight, Trez, and Shroeder are notable? They also went through that covid rough patch, but rallied back.

The injuries in the Finals was just dumb luck for the Lakers because I think a healthy Miami in THAT bubble with THAT team would have been even more hellish for them.