The Los Angeles Lakers had a noisy offseason, but not in ways that translated to major changes on their roster. They made waves by hiring JJ Redick, a former player and media personality with no coaching experience, as the replacement for fired head coach Darvin Ham, and then they drafted Bronny James in the second round to join his father, LeBron James, as the NBA’s first father-son duo. Despite the attention these additions generated, neither represents a proven, veteran addition to the roster.
The Lakers did not add a single established NBA player to their 15-man roster this offseason. In fact, the only changes they’ve made to date have been the replacement of two veterans (Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince) with two rookies (James and Dalton Knecht). Thus far, they have not even been capable of clearing an extra roster spot by trading away a bench player like Christian Wood or Cam Reddish.
To make an addition of substance, the Lakers will almost certainly have to trade either their 2029 or 2031 first-round pick, and while Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has indicated in the past that he is willing to do so under the right circumstances, they did not appear to come close to doing so this summer. At his press conference Wednesday, Pelinka indicated that while he would be willing to trade one pick for the right marginal upgrade, the standard for packaging both would be “sustainable Lakers excellence.”
What exactly does that mean? Well, it’s hard to say for certain. The use of the word “sustained” indicates that youth would be a consideration. The Lakers have made significant investments in older, big-name players in the recent past that haven’t panned out. Russell Westbrook is the most notable example. James is now 40, and the Lakers have to be thinking about life after his retirement. In a perfect world, the Lakers would use those picks to trade for players that could both help James now and remain useful to the team after he’s gone. All offseason, the Lakers have made a point of emphasizing player development. They have a…
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