With LeBron James and Luka Doncic set to return next season, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to do everything in their power to upgrade the supporting cast. The only problem is that the Lakers don’t have a whole lot to work with this summer after using up all of their assets and flexibility to build the current roster. As it stands, they only have a few million dollars in cap space with just one future first-round pick.
“The Lakers need to find a way to add more size, defense, shooting, and athleticism around Doncic, which is far easier said than done,” reported The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “And they need to do so with limited roster-building tools, especially if James doesn’t take a pay cut, as The Athletic previously reported, is unlikely. In that case, the Lakers will likely only have the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception and a few trade assets at their disposal (one first-round pick, several expiring contracts, and Dalton Knecht).”
Building a championship team is never easy, and the Lakers need some big changes following a subpar effort in the playoffs. After acquiring Luka Doncic mid-season, the hope among the fans is that they’ll be much improved in the next campaign with a full summer to adjust. Of course, with limited options for change, the biggest improvements might have to come from within.
After years of trying to build a dynasty in the LeBron James era, the Lakers have essentially run their well dry, and it’s put them in a difficult position for the future. While LeBron and Reaves were signed to the team (no assets given), they are on the books for $66.8 million next season, and it limits how much money the Lakers have to pay everyone else.
The lack of cap flexibility might not be bad if the Lakers had the pieces to make a trade, but they gave up the last of their assets in the Luka Doncic trade, which required them to sacrifice Anthony Davis, young guard Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.
After their involvement in the Luka trade and the Russell Westbrook trade, that 2029 pick is the last one the Lakers have left, and they will not give it up easily. Without the pick, however, the Lakers have nothing else to offer that doesn’t involve breaking up their own star-studded core.
With a relatively weak and unproven bench, the Lakers aren’t going to get much for guys like Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt, either. Outside of the starters, the only Lakers player with any real trade value is Dalton Knecht, who was part of the botched Mark Williams deal back in February.
If they don’t want to give up Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura, the best the Lakers can hope for is to acquire/trade for a veteran role player like Daniel Gafford or Robert Williams. Beyond that, the Lakers would have to give up one of their major rotation players, and it would come with a lot of risks.
No matter how it shakes out, Rob Pelinka is going to have his work cut out for him this summer. In a few weeks, he’ll have to decide how far he wants to go in the pursuit of one last championship with LeBron James. While options may be limited, the Lakers could still see a dramatic improvement if they’re willing to give up what’s left of their asset pool.
