The Lakers had a rollercoaster journey in the free agency market, where they finally ended up adding Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton, and Marcus Smart to their roster. Following these additions, Lakers’ insider Jovan Buha went on the Sirius XM Radio show and gave his analysis of the Lakers’ major strengths and biggest weaknesses in the coming season.
“On paper, this should be a Top-10, if not a Top-5 offense. You got Luka, you got Austin, LeBron, Deandre, Rui, even going into Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent. You’ve got six-seven guys who can drop 15+ points on any given night.
“To me, it’s the defensive end where if you’re looking at Smart, Gabe, and Jarred Vanderbilt as your three best perimeter defenders, it’s solid. But when you look at what OKC has, when you look at what Minnesota has, when you look at what Houston has, I don’t really think it’s in the same class. So I think they’re still on the deficit on the defensive end, and that’s where I think they need to find an upgrade.”
Luka Doncic faced a lot of criticism for his defensive effort last season, and he seems to be working hard on improving that. But according to Buha, the Lakers should use that last spot on their roster to add a solid perimeter defender to the team.
The Lakers may have to take a risk on a player who might not even be with the Lakers in the long run. They are currently only $1.1 million below the first apron, and no solid defenders are left in the free agency market that they can afford.
So either they risk it on a player who may or may not contribute in the long run with a veteran minimum contract, or they come up with a creative trade where they get an additional player in return to fill that spot. Either way, the Lakers’ offseason is not over yet, and we can expect some roster changes still coming before the 2025-26 season begins.
The Lakers could potentially look at Andrew Wiggins as a trade target. Despite reports claiming there have been no discussions between the teams as of yet, he is the perfect player who could fit into the gap in the roster that Buha described above.
Another possible trade target the Lakers could consider is Robert Williams III. He could provide the necessary size inside the paint and some depth in the roster for Deandre Ayton. He averages 1.7 blocks per game for his career and could bolster their defense.
The Lakers began this offseason intending to initiate a rebuild around Luka Doncic. This triggered tension between LeBron James and the front office as the Lakers’ superstar did not want a full rebuild but still wanted to compete for a championship.
Following reports of a rift between the front office and LeBron James, the dust finally settled on the matter as they made significant moves in the offseason to still seem like a title contender. For now, LeBron James is not going anywhere, and Luka Doncic has committed his future to the Lakers in a contract extension.
Therefore, the Lakers are proceeding with their eyes on a championship and not becoming a bottom-dwelling rebuilding team. And as Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant famously said, “defense wins championships.” The Lakers could use these players to achieve that goal.
