The Lakers have to upgrade their roster this offseason after another disappointing 4-1 series loss to the Timberwolves. That marks two straight years that the Lakers have been ousted from the first round in the playoffs in short order. The prior year, the Lakers were swept in the conference finals by the would-be NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
The bottom line is that this roster needs to improve around its big-name superstars. It feels like, since the championship in the bubble, this has been a recurring theme for the LeBron-era Lakers. Rob Pelinka took questions from the media yesterday and made a promise to LeBron James that "he will do everything to meet" LeBron's high expectations for the roster.
The good news is that Rob Pelinka has more assets to work with this off-season than he did in prior offseasons. In terms of first-round picks, the Lakers have their 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2031 picks. Because of the Stepien Rule, however, teams have to have at least one first-round pick in back-to-back drafts, leaving a pick swap as a more viable alternative for the Lakers rather than trading one more of their picks.
Additionally, the Lakers have a ton of extremely tradable contracts in that $10-25 million contract range. Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Austin Reaves, Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt are all under contract and make between $11 and $18 million. These guys can be easily packaged together for a third star if Pelinka wants to go that route.
Laker fans will likely be upset to see Reaves included on that list, but following a disappointing playoff series, I wouldn't expect him to be untouchable if the right opportunity presents itself to Pelinka. You have to give to get in this league, and guys like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dalton Knecht are younger players that other teams will be interested in acquiring.
Free agency is another thing going for Pelinka because there are a plethora of veteran free agents on the market this year. This is an edge for the Lakers as there may be guys later in their career who do not value money as much as chasing a ring with LeBron and Luka. I'd expect older players like Khris Middleton, Fred VanVleet, Brook Lopez, and Clint Capela to be options for the Lakers. Steven Adams will be an unrestricted free agent and would be a great addition as a backup center, as well as just a great presence in the locker room. Can Pelinka convince some of these vets to sign for cheap to play alongside LeBron and Luka?
Rob Pelinka has promised this virtually every summer, but this year, he actually has a bit more flexibility to make good on his promises to James. This should be an exciting offseason for Lakers fans as they attempt to build this roster to compete alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.