Los Angeles Lakers training camp and preseason starts next week, meaning the 2025-26 season is quickly approaching.
The Lakers, for the first time in years, have more clarity on their roster and future with Luka Doncic in tow. Doncic is set to lead the storied franchise, with LeBron James still around to help chase after another championship.
President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka did well to surround Doncic with better talent this offseason, and now the organization will eagerly wait to see how the pieces fare.
Pelinka was asked about the Lakers’ approach to team building as over half the roster will hit free agency next summer and he emphasized the team’s need for optionality.
“I think the key is, I like the word optionality better, I think that flexibility, I think we’ve all seen the impact that this new CBA system or relatively new system has had on teams,” Pelinka said. “And one of the things that’s really hard is if you get trapped above the aprons, over the aprons, deep into them, you lose your optionality. And we, again, have been very disciplined and intentional on how we put the roster and cap together to lean into that optionality.
“Now that said, I don’t see optionality as a word that applies to the distant long-term future. That optionality could be now. It could be if there is a move to be made, we have the optionality to look at it, study it, and decide if it helps our team. That said, JJ and I have a high level of confidence in this group, and I think early in the season, we’re going to get a sense of where some of the needs might arise. I think as a general rule, we’ve talked before, you like 20-25 games to kind of see what the makeup of your team looks like and see where it’s at and then you start evaluating those roster moves. But we feel good about the optionality. At the same time, we really like a lot of the players that are on short-term contracts. And you could use that optionality to keep those players as well. So, we’ll continue to evaluate.”
Pelinka also added that things like adding long-term salary on the books isn’t a deterrent if it helps their title odds.
“I think some of the words you used are maybe creating a narrative,” Pelinka said. “For us, the goal is the same as always to build a championship team. And so, I don’t think there has been a pivot or a shift. I think that we were locked into getting to a place of optionality so we could address things both now or keep that optionality for the future.
“But the goal remains the same, to put Lakers players on the court that can try to win this team a championship. And that’s what we’re committed to and we feel like we have the optionality that if we’re not seeing that in the first 20-25 games, we can look to make moves to meet that goal.”
From the sound of it, Pelinka is really prioritizing the ability to pivot in any scenario as it pertains to adding talent. The Lakers have a real shot to win a championship this upcoming season, so it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive Pelinka is in the trade market.
Rob Pelinka willing to trade first round pick if it leads to sustained Lakers excellence
The Lakers have a future first round pick they can offer in trades, and Rob Pelinka said the team is open to using draft capital if there’s a player that contributes to sustained winning.
“I think I would just say it again. If a transaction comes to us that leads to ‘sustained Lakers excellence’ and puts us in the position to increase our odds of winning a championship, we would put future draft capital in to make that move.”
It remains to be seen what kind of player becomes available between now and the trade deadline, but Pelinka needs to turn over every stone.
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