The Los Angeles Lakers had a pretty quiet trade deadline, which reflected all of the reporting leading up to it.
Since the 2025 offseason, the Lakers and general manager Rob Pelinka have been open about their preference to retain flexibility for the summer of 2026. That’s why they’ve opened up roughly $48.5 million in cap space and did not make any real moves to surround Luka Doncic with high-level talent at the deadline.
Flexibility can only get you so far, though. Pelinka has often touted flexibility as the reason to not make improvements now. But it also sets him up in a situation where he effectively has to make moves in the summer of 2026. If he doesn’t, the whole last year becomes a waste of patience. And there are many that believe, at a certain point, Doncic won’t put up with it anymore.
However, the Lakers star seems to like what the front office is doing, and has been on board with the concept of being patient and building toward the future, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
A source familiar with Doncic’s thinking told ESPN that L.A.’s deadline approach with “adherence to discipline” and focus on the “long-term picture” was supported by the 26-year-old star. He has not pushed the team to add a superstar-level co-star for when James is no longer on the roster.
Doncic being on board with this plan is likely why he signed a three-year extension the first day he possibly could over the summer. He clearly believes in Pelinka’s vision to build a championship roster, and maybe recognized that it wasn’t going to happen with him and LeBron James taking up a significant portion of the Lakers’ salary structure.
The 2026 offseason is the Lakers’ first real opportunity to build a Luka-centric roster, not one built around James and Anthony Davis. If they get it right, they could find themselves quickly back into championship contention. If not, the hope becomes that Doncic remains on board with L.A., even as he nears his first potential free agency.
Lakers believe they could be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist
One way the Lakers could use their cap space flexibility is to add a new star to usher in the post-LeBron era. And the biggest name for that is Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the Greek star has not yet requested a trade, the Lakers believe they’d have a real shot if he did.
They reportedly see themselves as being on his shortlist, and would be able to make an aggressive offer using their cap space and multiple available draft picks.
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