3 Biggest Takeaways From JJ Redick's Lakers Introduction

The Los Angeles Lakers finally introduced their new head coach JJ Redick on Monday, kickstarting a new era. In an introductory press conference with GM Rob Pelinka, the first-time head coach made important remarks about what this offseason, next year, and the future of the franchise will look like.

With the NBA Draft and free agency just around the corner, Redick and Pelinka need to get to work right away in order to build a competitive roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Here are three main takeaways from Monday's presser.

1. Lakers May Not Be Able to Trade for a Star

There is a widespread assumption that the Lakers will be aggressive in the offseason to improve the roster. They have three first-round picks that they can trade and matching salaries that they can move. Since the Lakers have limited cap space, the expectation is that they would be active on the trade market using these assets.

However, GM Pelinka implied that that might not be the case. In fact, when naming the members of the Lakers' young core, he mentioned Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Rui Hachimura, and Jalen Hood-Schifino.

This could be interpreted as unwillingness to move these players. And if that's the case, it's not realistic to expect the Lakers to bring in a star this summer. Reaves and Hachimura are the two biggest trade chips the team has, both in terms of talent and salary. Without them, the Lakers can't put together enough salaries in a trade to bring someone like Trae Young or Dejounte Murray.

Unless this is intentional by Pelinka to get some leverage in trade talks, Lakers fans might need to temper their expectations.