The Luka Dončić trade was always more about the future than the present for the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was about securing the next face of the franchise — issuing the transition from the LeBron James era to the next era.
But the Lakers maintained high ambitions for this season. Before the trade, the Lakers had begun rounding into form. Dončić’s arrival gave them a young superstar capable of carrying the offense on a deep playoff run. And after a couple of shaky losses while integrating Dončić, they looked like contenders.
They had the league’s best defense over a 20-4 stretch. There were statement wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. They won 50 games and earned the No. 3 seed — their best finish since earning the No. 1 seed in the 2019-20 championship season. They had the second-best home record and the second-best conference record in the always-difficult Western Conference.
The Lakers entered their first-round series against the Timberwolves as heavy favorites, with a conference finals berth conceivable given they were on the opposite end of the postseason bracket of the 68-win Thunder.
But that all came crashing down in 12 days, as the Lakers were thrashed in five games by the Timberwolves — with an average margin of defeat of 11.0 points per game. The thumping was a sobering reminder that this team wasn’t built to maximize Dončić’s gifts. There’s a reason so few blockbuster, in-season trades lead to championships. And a reason rookie head coaches rarely enjoy deep playoff runs in their first postseason.
“These things take time, particularly with the star players,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said at his exit interview two weeks ago. “There’s a reason in modern NBA history, go back the last 30, 40 years, there’s been a handful or less than a handful of All-Star players traded in season that led directly to a championship. … I think there’s value in repetition. And frankly, we didn’t get a ton of repetition, and that’s the nature of making an in-season trade.
The Lakers’ second-half surge partly masked several of the deficiencies that undid them. They didn’t have a starting-caliber center — or a second playable one behind starter Jaxson Hayes. They were able to smoke-and-mirrors their way to a good defense from January on, but their perimeter defenders struggled to contain dribble penetration. They were at an athletic disadvantage against most teams, which showed up in a variety of ways. Their rebounding and ball control fluctuated nightly. Their bench was inconsistent offensively.
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka acknowledged those deficiencies, to varying degrees, in his exit interview. He made it clear that the organization will prioritize building around Dončić and addressing the center position this summer. The last time they tried to upgrade at center they rescinded the Mark Williams deal with Charlotte after the trade deadline had already passed.
“We just didn’t have the time after the Luka trade,” Pelinka said. “But now we do. That’s the good news. … And the one thing we know about the NBA is there’s always new and unexpected opportunities around the corner. That’s just the nature of this business. And my focus is gonna be on that and making sure that next year we have the requisite size to have a team that can compete for a championship.
The Lakers need to find a way to add more size, defense, shooting and athleticism around Dončić, which is far easier said than done. And they need to do so with limited roster-building tools, especially if James doesn’t take a pay cut, as The Athletic previously reported is unlikely. In that case, the Lakers will likely only have the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception and a few trade assets at their disposal (one first-round pick, several expiring contracts and Dalton Knecht).
Of note, Dončić is eligible to sign an extension on Aug. 2 — over a month into free agency, when he’ll have a clearer idea of what the Lakers’ roster looks like and how serious they are about contending next season.
When you make a seismic trade at the deadline, your roster and the building around it, it’s kind of like trying to build an airplane in the sky,” Pelinka said. “Now we get a chance to land that plane, put it in the hangar and really figure out the parts of it that we need to retrofit and change. … We know we have a lot of work to do on the roster, and it will look different next year, for sure.
Patience is a scarce resource in LakerLand. Every season is championship-or-bust. And when they fall short — like losing in the first round in five games — significant changes are expected.
But barring a drastic trade featuring starters Austin Reaves and/or Rui Hachimura, the top of the roster likely is going to look similar to last season. In addition to one notable signing with an exception (likely the $5.7 million TMLE), they can make one sizable trade or two smaller deals with some combination of expiring contracts (with Gabe Vincent and/or Maxi Kleber being the most likely to be traded), Knecht, and either their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick (but not both).
It’s going to be challenging to address all of their needs — or even more than a couple — but that is the burden when acquiring a franchise-altering superstar about to hit his prime. The 26-year-old Dončić desperately wants to win his first championship. James only has so many years left. Reaves is on a team-friendly contract for one more season. Redick understands the annual expectations and scrutiny that come with sitting in that chair.
With all that said, many teams would happily trade their problems for the Lakers’ problems. Few players — it may only be one or two — have a brighter future than Dončić over the next five to seven years. And Redick proved to be one of the game’s better regular-season game planners. His philosophies didn’t translate as well in a playoff setting, but his coaching future is promising.
This season was full of some exciting things that we really need to lean into for our future,” Pelinka said, specifically referencing Dončić and Redick.
If this postseason has shown anything, it’s that the league remains wide open. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Pacers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Nuggets are down 3-2 to the Thunder. The Celtics are trailing the Knicks 3-2 with Jayson Tatum’s devastating right Achilles tear threatening to derail their season and future.
