CHICAGO — One yr in the past, the seats on the bar and the tables close to the espresso store contained in the Marriott Marquis lodge and the seats and concourse within the adjoining Wintrust Area had been stuffed with folks questioning what within the hell was going to be subsequent for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The staff had fired its coach, Darvin Ham, after a second consecutive first-round playoff loss to Denver and rumors had been in all places that the staff had zeroed in on broadcaster JJ Redick. On the identical time, LeBron James, his spouse Savannah and their safety staff filed into the stands to observe Bronny James attempt to earn a spot within the NBA draft.
They had been an inescapable matter of dialog, their place on the middle of the NBA’s universe definitely annoying to the opposite 29 groups however inarguable.
This yr, although, below those self same roofs, the Lakers haven’t been the principle occasion. They took their flip within the highlight earlier this yr after they traded for Luka Doncic. They’ve bought their coach in Redick and Rob Pelinka has a promotion and a contract extension.
By NBA requirements, they’re working pretty establishment.
This week on the NBA draft mix in Chicago, folks have buzzed in regards to the 2025 draft class led by Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the type of sure-thing prospect that eliminates any suspense. Successful the lottery, termed by a number of folks as an “all-time” loopy one, might assist undo a number of the goodwill the Mavericks surrendered after they dealt Doncic to the Lakers.
There’s been loads of hypothesis about Giannis Antetokounmpo and his future in Milwaukee and the place Kevin Durant will land, assuming his time in Phoenix is over. Individuals have began to invest how Boston will method a season with out Jayson Tatum and the ripple results of that.
However it’s the Lakers and one thing will ultimately break by means of.
When folks have wished to gossip, they’ve pointed to the Lakers’ energy and conditioning job posting that one way or the other carried an ESPN phase on “Get Up” earlier this week. (In response to folks with information of the scenario, the staff routinely posts jobs like this on LinkedIn and TeamWork on-line and did so final summer season after they had been hiring an assistant energy and conditioning coach.)
The strategy of the job posting, greater than the rest, caught some folks in Chicago off-guard — “We’d never post a job like that,” one rival staff government stated — most individuals have misplaced the overall thread, which is the Lakers attempting to reimagine their energy and conditioning program.
The Lakers and energy coach Ed Streit parted methods final week, folks with information of the scenario informed The Occasions. Streit, a popular presence within the group, joined the staff in 2019 as an assistant energy coach and earned a promotion in 2021.
A brand new voice across the weight room might jolt the staff because it tries to get to a special degree with conditioning.
Individuals, together with the Lakers’ scouts and executives right here in Chicago, have brazenly spoke in regards to the staff’s wants on the middle place — an apparent precedence for Pelinka and Redick.
The staff has proven little interest in utilizing Reaves in a commerce that nets them something lower than a top-tier massive, and there actually aren’t any of these out there, with the 2 most typical names linked to them within the earliest levels of the offseason — Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford.
Neither is a lock for a wide range of causes.
In Claxton, the Lakers would have the prototypical rim-protecting, lob-catching middle that’s tailored for Doncic. Claxton’s due greater than $66 million over the following three seasons and is 2 years faraway from his most impactful stretch as a professional when he averaged 12.6 factors, 9.2 rebounds and a couple of.5 blocks on a league-best 70.5% taking pictures from the sphere. This season in 70 video games, these numbers dipped to 10.3 factors, 7.4 rebounds and j1.4 blocks with 56.3% taking pictures.
An optimistic learn on the scenario would level to the Nets’ dropping as a purpose for his dip in manufacturing. A pessimist would level to his slender body (simply 215 kilos), the 2 straight years during which his numbers have slumped and the excessive wage.
Gafford, we all know, is a surefire Doncic match due to their time collectively in Dallas. He’s about to enter the ultimate yr of his deal and performs on a roster with Dereck Vigorous and Anthony Davis, making it unlikely that there’s additional cash headed his manner from the Mavericks.
The difficulty, in fact, is that folks across the NBA surprise how it could look if Mavericks normal supervisor Nico Harrison engaged Pelinka and the Lakers on one other commerce after the final deal between the groups was so unpopular that it triggered protests.
All-Star guard Luka Doncic (77) and the Lakers want an enormous man with the departure of Anthony Davis within the commerce. Will Austin Reaves or Dorian Finney-Smith be traded to amass one?
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
In response to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers greatest’ property (minus Reaves) are their 2031 first-round choose, second yr wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expiring contracts. Some mixture of them could be a should in any deal the staff would make for a middle.
The free-agency choices, just like the in-season commerce choices, are thought of to be fairly lean. Indiana middle Myles Turner is about to be a free agent, however he was already out of the Lakers’ worth vary earlier than the Pacers’ present run to the Jap Convention finals. Brook Lopez is 37 and already had a one-year stint with the Lakers earlier than leaving to play his greatest basketball elsewhere. Clint Capela could possibly be an possibility relying on how the market reacts, however there are questions across the league about whether or not he’s nonetheless a full-time starter.
Jaxson Hayes, who began for the Lakers this season, can also be a free agent, however the Lakers clearly had their doubts with him after they determined to bench him within the playoffs. You may assume that some bridges would should be rebuilt if that had been an possibility.
One other risk or two might develop on draft night time relying on how groups worth this group of younger bigs. A participant equivalent to Duke’s Khaman Maluach could possibly be seen as too good to cross up even when a staff has a middle on the roster, and that might create a possibility for a participant to unexpectedly hit the commerce market.
In any other case, the Lakers are in search of what each staff within the NBA is in search of — versatility, toughness, athleticism and taking pictures.
These markets are slowly beginning to develop behind the scenes as brokers meet with groups and as groups construct out their offseason free-agency boards now that lottery has been settled.
The Lakers are engaged on all of this too. Simply this time, it’s not what everyone seems to be speaking about.
