The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and now face a longer-than-expected offseason where they’ll need to address several needs on the roster to give themselves a better chance of competing for a title.
The Luka Doncic trade was made with more of an eye toward the future than the present, though the Lakers have expressed an urgency and desire to compete for titles as soon as the 2025-26 season. However, building a championship-level roster will be tough as the team is limited on draft picks and assets to make multiple meaningful moves.
The upcoming 2025 NBA Draft is an avenue for teams like Los Angeles to add young talent on cheap contracts, though the purple and gold won’t have their first-round pick this year due to the Anthony Davis trade. The Lakers do own their own second-round pick, and the scouting department has done well drafting that late into the event.
As part of the pre-draft process, the organization held the annual Klutch Sports pro day at their training facility to get a look at some prospects, via Jonathan Givony of ESPN:
Quite a scene at the Klutch pro day in LA where executives, coaches and luminaries from around the NBA gathered to see Khaman Maluach, Walter Clayton, Hansen Yang and more. pic.twitter.com/U4h4DG1Kx2
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 21, 2025
The opening of the video will catch fans’ eyes as Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is seen arriving, followed by head coach Jason Kidd. From that point, several executives and team personnel can be seen watching the prospects go through drills and warm ups.
Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul can be seen in attendance, as well as several players signed to the agency including Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively and Jarred Vanderbilt. Out of all the prospects in attendance, Duke’s Khaman Maluach is a lock to hear his name called first on draft night as he’s expected to go in the lottery.
The video ends with the prospects clapping it up at center court, an exciting day as they work toward fulfilling their NBA dreams.
The Lakers could find themselves in position to take one of the prospects at Klutch’s Sports Day, but their biggest moves will have to come via the trade market and free agency.
Naji Marshall was hurt after Luka Doncic trade to Lakers
The Luka Doncic trade shook up not just the Mavericks and the Lakers, but the league as a whole. Doncic’s departure was beyond shocking and Naji Marshall, one of his former teammates with the Mavericks, admitted he was hurt by the ordeal.
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