The Los Angeles Lakers got a taste of what their team can look like with Luka Doncic leading the way, and now they go into the offseason looking to build a roster better suited to make use of his talents.
Doncic fundamentally changed the identity of the Lakers and head coach JJ Redick was forced to pivot and reconfigure his lineups to accommodate his star. By trading away Anthony Davis, Los Angeles almost had no choice but to roll out smaller lineups and while they worked in the regular season the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed them in the postseason.
President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka emphasized the front office will look to add more size at the center position , and the team has already been linked to most of the big men in free agency and who are expected to be on the trading block.
Aside from centers, though, the Lakers should look to upgrade the overall talent on the roster and they reportedly could look at a potential reunion with Lonzo Ball, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“I do, I think they would be,” Buha said when asked if the Lakers would be interested in a reunion with Ball. “It’s just a matter of what his price is, and you have to factor in the health and the history there of just, you can’t even pencil him in for 60 games. So whatever you’re giving up for him, there has to be some level of a discount, or you’re factoring in, like, this dude might just play 40, 50 games. He’s a guy you have to load manage. Like, how can we load manage him to get to mid-April in one piece?”
Ball has an extensive injury history but made a miraculous comeback during the 2024-25 season and resembled close to his pre-injury self. A willing passer and defender, Ball is the ideal role player next to LeBron James and Doncic, but the obvious question mark is how will he hold up over the course of a full 82-game season.
Th Chicago Bulls aren’t close to contending and should be looking to add more draft picks and young players to their core, so a deal between the two sides makes sense on paper. However, the team should be more prudent with its limited resources and look to add more impactful players via free agency or trade.
Jaxson Hayes denies rumors he wants to leave Lakers
Jaxson Hayes was elevated to a starting role after Anthony Davis was traded, but saw his playing time dwindle in the playoffs. There were rumors of Hayes’ displeasure and that he would leave the Lakers in free agency, but he denied those rumors.
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