What a weird season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The squad entered the season with a podcaster as its head coach, made an early-season trade for Dorian Finney-Smith to (finally) get more two-way production, saw LeBron James turn 40 after playing in a game with his son, and then traded for LUKA FREAKING DONČIĆ right before the trade deadline.
Oh, they also rescinded a trade, which very rarely happens and came back to haunt them in Game 5 Wednesday night. Never a dull moment in La La Land.
In many ways, this was a season of change. Not just for the now, but the future as well. James is (allegedly) getting older, to the point where you have to wonder how long he’ll stick around. The Dončić acquisition sent a signal that the organization is close to transferring power from a superstar of yesteryear to one with an eye on the years ahead.
The cost was 32-year-old Anthony Davis, one of the most influential big men of the past decade, which, for a 26-year-old player who, at worst, is a top-five talent in the league, isn’t that much of a sacrifice if we’re being truthful.
Of course, we do have to balance things fairly here.
While the Lakers did hoodwink the Mavericks into forking over Dončić, they didn’t exactly dominate when they reached the postseason, bowing out in five games in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a display of extremely concerning defense, much of it at the feet of Dončić, and a general lack of cohesion, size and depth.
In some respects, it’s understandable. Both Dončić and James play a similar brand of physical basketball, as they have the ball in their hands a lot, and neither is as bendable as an off-ball shooter as, say, Kyrie Irving, who’s played with both of them.
Furthermore, Dončić not having a big man who can roll hard is taking away some of his otherwise elite playmaking.
That said, the Lakers went to battle with two players who should absolutely be able to produce more and flat-out find ways to get the job done, and they didn’t.
So, what’s next?
Here’s what to know about the Lakers heading into the offseason:
2024-25 finish
Record: 50-32, third in Western Conference. Lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round.
Highlight of the season
Let’s be honest, there was no better moment than Dončić popping off for 45 points in a win against the Mavericks on April 9 in Dallas, with the crowd cheering and clapping for its guy. That game was peak sports — emotions bubbling to the surface, great offensive execution, individual glory and the basketball world not wanting to miss a beat. That was an all-time regular-season game.
Players signed to next season
Luka Dončić
Rui Hachimura
Austin Reaves
Maxi Kleber
Gabe Vincent
Jarred Vanderbilt
Dalton Knecht
Bronny James
Key free agents
LeBron James (Player Option)
Dorian Finney-Smith (Player Option)
Projected salary
$118,233,459 (salary cap is projected to be $154.6 million)
Draft pick
No. 55
Draft focus: When your hopes depend on LeBron and Luka, a pick at the bottom of the second round doesn’t really matter.
Roster-building tools
Since the above salary number does not include James or Finney-Smith, odds are good those two will combine to gobble up most, if not all, of the luxury tax space. If so, this means the Lakers are looking at the Tax-Mid-Level Exception, as opposed to the Non-Tax MLE. That means the team can sign a free agent for up to two years, with a maximum starting salary of $5.6 million.
Needs and goals
They’re one and the same for the Lakers. Size. Loads and loads of agile size to prevent big men from doing what Rudy Gobert did in Game 5 Wednesday night. This team needs big paint players who can be fed lobs from Dončić and James, with the ability to draw in defenses to free up space for those two stars to operate. Fill that need, and the goal of a championship becomes far more realistic.
