The Lakers have faced challenges in achieving playoff success since their last Championship victory. Despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis being central to the team, and the front office’s efforts to build a championship-caliber roster around them, the results have been disappointing. The team suffered a first-round exit in 2021, missed the playoffs the following year, and made it to the Conference Finals but fell short of advancing further.
Last year, the Lakers were eliminated by the Nuggets even earlier in the postseason. This recent history has led to questions about whether James and Davis still have what it takes to win another title. However, the Paris Olympics may have answered those doubts. LeBron James, at 39, led Team USA to an Olympic gold, while Anthony Davis demonstrated his dominance in his second Olympic appearance with an expanding role.
Despite this, the question remains whether the Lakers have the necessary assets to support them. Tim Bontemps criticized the Lakers’ management, stating that the team’s performance highlights the franchise’s poor decisions over the past few years. He pointed out that while LeBron James, despite his age, has consistently performed well in the playoffs, the team around him has been poorly constructed. According to Bontemps, this has rendered the Lakers largely irrelevant in recent seasons, except for a few favorable matchups.
The Lakers’ struggles extend beyond the postseason to the regular season as well. Their recent offseason was notably underwhelming. Although LeBron James was open to taking a pay cut to help the team acquire high-caliber players—when stars like Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan were available—these opportunities did not materialize. The Lakers now rely on their draft picks, with Rob Pelinka holding six second-round picks and five first-round picks over the next six years. Utilizing these picks could potentially bring in an All-Star, but the team seems content with their recent additions. Dalton Knecht showed promise in the Summer League, but he alone may not be enough.
Austin Reaves is currently the Lakers’ only significant trade asset. While trading him could potentially bring in an elite player, the team has been reluctant to include him in trade discussions. So, the question remains: how can the Lakers improve their situation?
