Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick raised eyebrows two weeks ago when he took a shot at his players for being out of shape. In fact, the 40-year-old bench boss even announced that it'll be an offseason requirement to "be in championship shape."
"We have a ways to go as a roster," Redick said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape."
Well, it didn't take Redick long to take his next step toward achieving that goal. On Wednesday, ESPN reported that the Lakers "are hiring a new head strength and conditioning coach" before the 2025-26 campaign.
Although a new strength and conditioning coach could be beneficial for young players looking to increase their NBA workload, the Lakers' newest job opening likely spells bad news for a returning veteran who might not come back after all.
Maxi Kleber is on Hot Seat After Lakers Announce New Coaching Job Opening
Several Lakers veterans are already on the hot seat to begin the NBA offseason; however, the newest coaching opening has certainly warmed up Maxi Kleber's seat even more.
Kleber, 33, is someone whom Lakers fans rarely saw after he was acquired as a part of the Luka Doncic pre-deadline trade. The German forward arrived in L.A. recovering from foot surgery he underwent in January, resulting in his missing the final three months of the regular season before suiting up for only one playoff game.
Kleber barely made an impact during the five minutes he played in a Lakers uniform, missing his lone three-point attempt while going 2-of-2 at the charity stripe. Needless to say, the performance didn't exactly signal to the front office that the 6-foot-10 veteran deserves to be brought back next season.
Now that Redick wants his team to be in "championship shape," it's even harder to imagine Kleber being in the 2025-26 lineup.
He hasn't hit the 70-game mark since the 2019-20 campaign and has missed an average of 44 games in the last three seasons. Taking into account that he'll be turning 34 years old in January, there's a good chance that Kleber's body can't withstand an increased strength and conditioning plan at this stage of his career.
Kleber is heading into the final year of his contract with an $11 million cap hit, meaning the Lakers will have to trade him if they want to cut ties this summer. They can either use his salary as a piece in a bigger trade to help acquire an All-Star player or perhaps they'll be willing to take the lowest possible return just to get his cap hit off the books. Either way, there are options.
May is flying by, so it won't be long before the offseason officially begins and Lakers fans will have a better idea of what Kleber's outlook with the franchise looks like.