The Lakeshow Review

Another season is in the books for The Los Angeles Lakers, who just capped off the 77th season in franchise history in a somewhat unceremonious fashion. The Lakers were ousted, by way of a Gentleman’s Sweep, at the hands of a young and athletic Minnesota Timberwolves team, whose size and speed swarmed the Lakers at virtually every turn. Having entered the postseason on a moderately high note, LA seemed primed to build upon their regular season exploits and embark on a successful summer playoff tour. Those plans were obviously cut short, well short. 

The team is now sitting at home, having failed to make it out of the first round for the second consecutive season (third time in the LeBron James era). The Lakers brass, led by Team president and majority owner Jeannie Buss, and Team General Manager Rob Pelinka, will now look to the coming months of summer to make their best bid to tinker, enhance and improve the roster, so that the organization can compete for World Championships in the foreseeable future. There will be unique challenges during this off-season for the Lakers. But if the team plays their cards correctly, they should be able to find the right avenues to field a better team by Training Camp in October. 

Following the failures of the post-season, one would hope that the team heads into the summer with both an uncompromising ambition and an open-mind. Both will be required in order to return the franchise back to their championship standards. Should a number opportunities arise, it will be incumbent on this front office to identify the ones that will bring them closer to said standards. Hopefully, by the end of the summer they will have constructed a roster capable of squaring up against the NBA’s elite. Easier said than done, but I suppose that is the fun of it all. 

For any team, every road to a championship must start with finding that franchise cornerstone. Luckily for the Lakers, they already have one in Luka Dončić. At least for now, that is. Dončić has a player option for the 2026-27 season. In other words, he is eligible to become a free agent soon after this upcoming 2025-26 season. Thus, it’s imperative for the Lakers to work out an extension with Luka during this summer. Any path to longterm championship contention for this franchise must start with locking up a player of Luka’s caliber. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing him for nothing and you’re simply left with a roster of overpaid role-players. Perhaps Luka wants to wait and see what kind of moves are made this summer before offering an official commitment. In any case, this should be priority number one for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. 

The Lakers’ salary cap situation puts the team in a unique spot. Not necessarily an optimal one, either. As things currently stand, the team sits at roughly $140.25M in total salary heading into the next season. There will be potentially 12 players under contract for them, those being: 

LeBron James ($52.63M player option)

Luka Dončić ($46M)

Rui Hachimura ($18.26M)

Dorian Finney-Smith ($15.38M player option)

Austin Reaves ($13.94M)

Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.57M)

Gabe Vincent ($11.5M)

Maxi Kleber ($11M)

Dalton Knecht ($4.01M)

Shake Milton ($3M non-guaranteed, fully guaranteed after July 20th)

Jordan Goodwin ($2.35M team option)

Bronny James ($1.96M)

After factoring in the cap hold for the Lakers 2nd round pick (about $1.28M), they’ll be left with little  ammunition, outside of the $5.7M tax payer mid-level exception, to perform any signing via free agency. It’ll be very interesting to see if the team winds up retaining the services of DFS, who is perhaps the lone 3&D man currently on the roster. He is the type of player this team will likely be going after. Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and Rui Hachimura will all be on expiring contracts next season, as well as DFS, should he pick up his player option. Guys like Rui and Reaves can both be utilized as trade assets because of the nature of their team-friendly deals, along with future draft picks and possibly Dalton Knecht. Perhaps this trade package can net the organization another all-star talent to pair with Luka. However, none of these guys should be dangled simply for the fun of it; they should only be moved in the event that they bring back clear and legitimate upgrades. There really isn’t much for the team to do in terms of signings, outside of retaining their own guys. But they will certainly have plenty of options to execute trades that can improve the roster around the margins. 

Let’s dive a bit into specific free agent targets. Because of the team’s limited cap room, they’ll have limited options to look at as far as signings are concerned. One player that immediately pops up is Hawks’ center Clint Capela. At 30 years of age, his style of play is very much simpatico to what you’re looking for on a Luka-centric roster. He is a dynamic pick and roll center with tremendous finishing ability and optimal lob-potential for Luka to work with on ball screen action. He’s already had significant experience playing with James Harden in Houston, whose play style is perhaps adjacent to that of Luka’s. He’d be a clear upgrade over someone like Jaxson Hayes, who at times lacks the discipline and know-how to consistently be the ideal lob threat that the team needs. Capela is also pretty good defensively, offering solid rim protection and good lateral mobility on defensive switches. 

Then there’s somebody who’s a familiar face and former Laker, that being Brook Lopez. With things going sideways down in Milwaukee, the team might be ready to blow things up and explore other avenues to build a contender around Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lopez, who is 37 years old, will be entering free agency with perhaps his final opportunity to cash in on good money. It’s doubtful whether he would accept the Lakers $5.7 tax payer exception. But he’s certainly a fit. His shooting ability makes him an ideal foil on screen and rolls, particularly as a pop guy. He is a great fit on Spain pick and rolls, which the team didn’t run much of last season. He’s also a former Defensive
Player of the Year, so there is some upside defensively. His age, however, does make him a question mark as far as his longevity and ability to stay on the floor. He also happens to be right at that threshold where you run the risk of the tread coming off the tires. But, at $5.7M, you could do a lot worse than Brook Lopez. I’m not sure if he’s precisely the type of ‘upgrade’ you’d want to build around Luka, but he’s certainly a quality player, still at his age.

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams is another option that the Lakers will almost certainly take a good look at. At 32 years of age, he fits within the current timeline. His play style, however, is much different from the aforementioned names, as Adams is more of a gritty, physical presence who doesn’t provide the offensive spark of say a Clint Capela, but he makes up for it with his strong play as a rebounder and screen-setter. I would personally question his fit with Luka on offense, but defensively he is certainly a force to be recognized. With his large frame, he’s someone you could stick on a Rudy Gobert in order to cool him off. Adams is not very dynamic as a finisher on screening action, but he is capable of setting a mean pick. Though he isn’t the best fit, he is still someone I’d take as a backup in a heartbeat. Solid and reliable player. 

There are also names like Naz Reid or Myles Turner. But these guys are integral pieces to their respective playoff teams, not to mention will more than likely be way out of the Lakers’ price range. You could always make a play at one of them via trade, as a Rui Hachimura + first round pick package would perhaps offer some intrigue to rival executives. But it’s unlikely that the team could net any of the higher end big men during free agency. 

Then, there’s the trade market. This will perhaps open more doors for the Lakers this summer, as in my opinion, the team does have several attractive assets and could put together a strong package to entice other teams to pull the trigger on a deal. Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura are both expiring contracts, and both can be utilized as salary ballast in order to match salaries in a potential trade. Rui in particular, is an excellent player, with his ability to run the floor, finish, shoot threes, and lately, his improved rebounding. He is someone other teams could possibly view as a useful and productive player, aside from having an expiring contract. The Lakers also have Dalton Knecht, who showed promise this year during stretches, as well as future first round picks that could bolster or sweeten any trade package they can assemble. 

Then, there’s LeBron James, who seemingly enters every off-season amidst a cloud on uncertainty. As of now, it’s unclear whether LeBron will exercise his $52M player option. It remains to be seen if LeBron actually would like to stay with the club or pursue a change of scenery for his final years before eventually retiring. LeBron, who will be 41 next December, is unlikely to garner significant interest from other organizations in a trade. As far as teams giving up young and valuable assets in exchange for a near-the-of-the-road James, that will be highly unlikely. There could be a possibility where the Lakers swap James in a veteran-for-veteran move, such as for Kevin Durant, for instance. Ultimately, any deal involving LeBron will put the ball squarely in his court. He possesses a no-trade clause, which would require his approval on any potential deal. Alas, if he isn’t fully on board with the team’s direction and future outlook, he will have to work with the from office in order to find a potential new home for himself (and likely Bronny) where he can play out his remaining years. 

As far as who should stay, or who should go, I think there are three names that the Lakers should retain which would give them the most solid foundation moving forward. Those being Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith. Dončić is the franchises’s new cornerstone, he represents step one in building a championship team. It’s incumbent on the Lakers to make sure they can retain Luka on a long-term basis. Then there’s Austin. Yes, he had a terrible showing this postseason, but he is a tremendous player who has made significant strides and has worked himself to becoming one of the better role players, and one must also consider his hyper team-friendly deal. Finally, Finney-Smith is exactly what this team needs more of. He represents the prototypical 3&D wing. Ideally, you’d want to find at least one or two more DFS’s, but the fact that there’s already one on the roster is a good start. Let’s put it this way, if the Lakers let go of Finney-Smith for whatever reason, eventually they’ll find themselves on the market for a player precisely of his skill set. This team needs more players adjacent to DFS. It’s the key to being able to function defensively while playing the likes of Luka and AR. Offensively, the team needs more floor spacers. Guys who will keep defenses honest while Luka (or Reaves) attack off the dribble or on the pick and roll. All in all, the Lakers clearly have some work to do. 

There is talent on the roster. There is star power on the roster. But championship teams cannot subsist off of those two things alone. There is great need for balance. The lack of a true big man was costly during their brief playoff run. The lack of shooting and rebounding were perhaps of equal detriment. In order to maximize their current timeline, the Lakers brass will have to go to work this summer. They’ll have to explore all avenues and possibilities to put together a well balanced and complimentary roster; one that can compete against the NBA’s elite. They’re fortunate to have certain foundational pillars already in place, but there’s still ample room for improvement around the margins in order to widen the ceiling of their existing core. I’m eager to see what the Lakers will cook up this summer, and the possibility is certainly there for them to make the necessary improvements that will elevate this roster to its fullest potential. Go Lakers.