The NBA offseason has pretty much come and gone, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster looks very similar to how it did in 2023-24.
The only changes the Lakers have made to this point were drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James to replace Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie, who departed in free agency. The organization also brought in a new head coach as JJ Redick will replace Darvin Ham.
Coming off a first-round playoff exit, many expected the Lakers to be more active this offseason. It’s no secret that LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ days are numbered and they need more help if they are going to compete for a championship in a loaded Western Conference.
Going back to the trade deadline last season when Rob Pelinka didn’t make any deals, he talked about how the team would have three tradable first-round picks in the summer to improve their roster. They haven’t done anything with that so far though and don’t appear close to make any deals before the start of training camp next month.
One person who has been pretty quiet this offseason is Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who typically allows Pelinka and the rest of the front office to handle basketball decisions.
In a recently interview with Petros and Money on AM 570 LA Sports though, Buss commented on the Lakers offseason for the first time and chose to focus on the changes they did make as opposed to the lack of activity overall:
“I’m excited about our new coach, JJ Redick. And I can sit here and tell you how great it’s gonna be basketball-wise, but I really want the opportunity just for the team to play basketball and that will tell the story. But we’re excited about our draft picks, Dalton Knecht, who we didn’t think would be available at the 17th pick, and of course Bronny James, who played at USC. So we’re excited about our young guys.”
It’s possible for Jeanie and the Lakers to be excited about the addition of Redick and their draft picks. That doesn’t mean the team did enough to compete for a championship though, which puts even more pressure on Redick in his first head coaching job.
While it’s worth noting that moves can be made all the way up to the trade deadline in February, the Lakers have started slow in recent years and they may not have the luxury of doing that this season given the state of the Western Conference. That, again, puts more pressure on Redick to win right away.
Jeanie Buss believes LeBron James is a bargain for Lakers
LeBron James signed a new contract with the Lakers this offseason at near max money as he heads into his 22nd NBA season. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss explained why she views it as a bargain for the organization and didn’t have a problem with him representing his country at the Olympics.
“I think, he’s so competitive, it’s really gotta be something that he wants to do. We always support our players in the decisions that they make in regards to playing for their national team or not. It was something that was important to LeBron and yes, he is our highest-paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me. He’s absolutely amazing. Because we’re a salary cap league, there’s only so much that we can pay him. He brings us the notoriety in the league but also internationally. He’s a huge star and he’s a great leader for this team. What he does for our young players, what he does for the community. We’re proud to be partners with him. It’s the same as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, because we’re in a capped league, they probably should have been paid twice what they get. But we can only pay him the maximum.”
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