Per usual, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at the forefront of the NBA’s upcoming offseason. After fielding a squad that seemed destined for a deep playoff run (20-7 record after THE trade deadline), the first take of the Laker Luka experience came crashing down from start to finish in the opening round L to Minnesota. From the moment the final buzzer sounded at the conclusion of that series, all eyes and ears shifted focus to the sights and sounds of what may lie ahead for the 2025-2026 Lakers.
Almost immediately after the team’s disappointing early playoff exit, Luka Doncic (player option next summer) was spotted out and about with JJR + Robby P. Any concern regarding Doncic’s future with LA should never have existed in the first place, but it is reassuring to know that the Don is “fully committed” to the Lakers per Tim MacMahon. At the ripe age of 26, it is nuts to think that the Slovenian superstar is probably just now entering his prime… those are some frightening hours awaiting the rest of the league.
While Luka’s fate seems sealed, LeBron’s is a bit more mysterious. Rich Paul has held hush on LBJ’s intent to stay or go, but the common consensus keeps him in LA for what could be a farewell tour aside Doncic and their tertiary star Austin Reaves. Reaves’s future, though, is even murkier than the King’s. He has arguably outperformed his contract better than any other NBA player in recent years, and is all caps DUE every penny of the $30-35 millionhe is seeking(and inevitably receives) on his next contract. Common sense tells you the organization should run the man his money, but it also tells you they would part with his presence instantly if required in a trade package involving another top shelf talent such as Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, recent reports indicate a disinterest among Bucks’ brass in shipping the Freak to LA after the backlash Dallas earned via the Luka whiff. So the greatest European tag team in history will likely not be headquartered in Los Angeles anytime soon (but just wait on that…).
Assuming Antetokounmpo lands elsewhere, that is by no means the end of the world for the Lakers. And no matter how many times the man has been doubted, there is nobody better prepared to guide this franchise through the rocky waters that await than Rob Pelinka. Say what you want about him, except any lies about Robby P not making good things happen at the helm.
Now with 8 seasons under his belt (!), Pelinka has overcome his fair share of criticisms en route to becoming one of the game’s greatest generals, pulling off the league’s biggest blockbuster to date + a few less seismic-yet-still-super swaps along the way. The man always says the right things when he is on camera + stays silent with his plots and schemes. How many times have the Lakers pulled off seemingly out-of-nowhere mega moves the past few seasons? You can do the research, but the short answer is wayyyyyyy more than every other NBA team.
Perhaps there may be another blockbuster around the corner, or perhaps the front office elects to stick with the current core and clean the edges up around the rest of the roster. With the Conference Finals in full swing, any active offseason chatter is obviously nothing more than speculation. Still, there has already been a bunch of buzz surrounding the Lakers offseason plans (duh). More specifically, there have been a wide range of names connected to the Lakeshow.
Here are a few examples of those aforementioned names:
Granted, there is a real possibility that not a single member of the above list translates to a partnership in reality. But there is also a realm in existence which manifests multiple names on that list materializing on the Lakers’ depth chart entering the start of next season. There is no surefire method of forecasting the future, and factoring in Pelinka’s track record of unpredictability does not help in any attempts at predicting what comes next.
As of the present, all we know is that there are certainly some changes on the horizon. While uncertain on exactly what those changes will look like, they will start taking shape across the next calendar month.
