The Los Angeles Lakers had a relatively quiet NBA offseason.
Sure, they made a coaching change and historic draft picks, but those aren't monumental moves — at least, not enough to turn this 47-win team into a top-tier championship contender.
In fact, that's the idea the Lakers are reportedly considering.
If LA can free up enough space to utilize the taxpayer mid-level exception (which may be a possibility after LeBron James takes a pay cut in his new contract), they have a few targets in mind: According to Jovan Buha and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Gary Trent Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie are “two names to watch” if LA is able to utilize that exception.
These aren't the worst options in the world, but they don't really provide the kind of game-changer the Lakers really need to turn their fortunes around.
The Lakers can make a strong trade offer to acquire the right player, but they can't do it multiple times.
And the assets needed to facilitate smaller transactions now could get in the way of brokering larger deals later.
LA has two future first-round picks (2025 and 2027, the latter with top-four protection) and three future second-round picks (2026, 2028, 2029). They don't have many promising young players on the roster, unless they're particularly excited about Jalen Hood-Scifino, who barely appeared on an NBA court last season, or believe 23-year-old rookie Dalton Knecht can buck the aging curve.
The Lakers need to maximize the value of their assets, and giving up some of them for role players like Trent and Dinwiddie won't accomplish that.
While the Lakers may feel a sense of urgency to make a move ahead of James' age-40 season, the King himself isn't exerting any such pressure.
“We were one year away from making the Western Conference Finals,” he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “Obviously, this year hasn't gone as well as last year. It hasn't gone as well as we'd hoped, but we're not that far away yet.”
Does James really believe in this team as much as he sounds like he does? Who knows, but the answer isn't as important as you might think.
If he had publicly pressed for an upgrade, this front office would have had to meet the demands or prepare for uncomfortable questions in training camp. His decision not to do so has given the Lakers more time to carefully plan their path forward.
Are the Lakers totally confident that a coaching change and a few draft picks is all it takes to elevate this team to a championship level? Probably not.
But is there anyone currently on the trade market in this team's price range who would do that? Trae Young could be a strong fit for a team that already struggles defensively at the point of attack. Zach LaVine would strain finances and add to injury concerns. Lauri Markkanen has never been to the playoffs and may be more than the Lakers can offer in any case.
This doesn't mean it's worth avoiding that trade route entirely, just that now is not the time to play that card.
Keep in mind that the trade market is fluid — stars can request a trade at any time — and a slow start could lead the front office to decide it's time to call it quits, especially with the 2025 draft already looking loaded with talent.
An impact addition could still be possible for the Lakers at some point between now and the trade deadline in February, and they just need to make sure they have the assets they need to be able to take advantage of the opportunity whenever it arises.
