After a disappointing five-game series loss in their first round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers head into this offseason needing to upgrade their roster. The franchise has its superstar to build around in Luka Doncic, but now the pressure will be on general manager Rob Pelinka to make the necessary changes.
Of course, it is important for the Lakers to be on one accord and that starts at the top and down to Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick. But the Lakers have always been a franchise that keeps its superstars in the loop with everything and that will be no different with Doncic.
In fact, it looks as if they are already doing exactly that as Doncic, Redick and Pelinka were seen leaving a dinner together over the weekend and there’s little doubt they were discussing some offseason plans, via Lakers All Day Everyday on X:
Luka, JJ, and Rob were seen leaving dinner together last night in LA…
Looks like they were discussing some sort of business 👀
(via HollywoodFamous323/TT) pic.twitter.com/YnZ0M05B8g
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 3, 2025
The Lakers’ offseason needs are pretty clear following their playoff loss as the team is in dire need of a true big man who can protect the rim and clear the glass. That was obvious in the immediate aftermath of the Doncic trade, which is why Pelinka agreed to a trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams not long after. Of course that trade was ultimately rescinded, so the Lakers are still in the market for a big and that is likely to be their top priority.
Adding overall depth and shooting will also likely be prioritized as, when push came to shove, Redick really only trusted seven players and that lack of depth hurt the Lakers against a young, athletic and deep Timberwolves squad. The question now is how the Lakers go about making these improvements.
The team still has a first-round pick and a couple of intriguing young pieces if they prefer a trade, but they are limited in terms of salary cap space and they don’t own their 2025 first-round pick. Whatever the case may be, Pelinka, Redick and Doncic seem to be on one accord which is extremely important going forward.
Luka Doncic: All Lakers need to improve this offseason
Rob Pelinka needs to acquire the right players to improve this team and JJ Redick will have to get the most out of them, but the players themselves have to put in the work themselves to get better this summer and Luka Doncic feels every player on this roster must do exactly that.
“There’s obviously a lot of different things we can do, I can do,” he said. “Obviously everybody has got to get better. We’re gonna have a long summer and should focus on how we can improve as a team, as individuals.”
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