Will Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves all be donning Laker jerseys next season?
LOS ANGELES — Executing a midseason trade that shook up the league and caused a major reinvention to two franchises, that was easy.
Now comes the tricky part for the Lakers: Making themselves a championship contender with Luka Dončić — and perhaps also with LeBron James, who’s on the clock with midnight approaching.
In these restrictive salary cap times, that’s a daunting task for a franchise that always managed to grab the trophy in the past. Barriers never deterred the Lakers from winning at least one ring in every decade except the 1960s, when the franchise moved to L.A.
Speaking of moves. The Luka trade changed the dynamics for the Lakers here in LeBron’s twilight, which seems to stretch forever but ultimately will meet an expiration date. They’re now blessed with a 26-year-old generational player and also one who turns 41 in December.
In their first season together, Luka and LeBron raised the bar and, perhaps a bit unexpectedly, cleared it immediately by grabbing the No. 3 seed in the West before losing Wednesday in the first round of the playoffs to the Timberwolves in five games.
Despite the sour ending, that was the appetizer.
Now comes the part where well-nourished Lakers fans start asking for the main dish along with second and third helpings.
What do the Lakers do now?
Firstly, the player in question isn’t LeBron or Luka. It’s Austin Reaves.
Any significant cosmetic change on the roster begins with Reaves, their most valuable trade asset and perhaps their only real asset, period, aside from the two who obviously aren’t going anywhere.
They can’t move mountains unless they move on from a creative, 26-year-old guard with one of the friendliest salaries in the league, at $14 million next season and a $15 million option for the following season (hint: He’ll opt out regardless and look for a hefty extension).
Reaves has carved out a very nice and potentially lengthy NBA career since being undrafted and making himself a solid NBA starter. His ability to create off the dribble, break ankles, shoot from distance and draw fouls with a reliable pump fake has seen his stock soar around the league.
Despite it being a win-or-go-home game, L.A. ‘seemed disinterested’ during the game — especially on the defensive end.
Surprisingly, the Lakers have managed to keep Reaves over the last few years, and especially from being included in the Luka deal with Dallas. That was a major point of contention among Mavericks fans and league observers, how Mavs GM Nico Harrison — who negotiated exclusively with the Lakers — couldn’t get Reaves and therefore resolve its backcourt hole created by Luka’s departure.
All credit to Rob Pelinka for that. But now the Lakers GM, who recently received a contract extension, will need to be super-creative if he plans to keep Reaves and add major talent.
So here’s some options for the Lakers:
Trade Reaves. It’s really their only way to add quality size, which is the Lakers’ most pressing need. Besides, the Lakers already have two players who replicate what Reaves gives them — Luka and LeBron, both creative themselves, only to a higher level.
Lakers coach JJ Redick essentially went without a center during the Timberwolves playoff series, and didn’t even start one in Game 5. And there’s no better other option currently on the roster than Jaxson Hayes.
The center position would’ve been resolved had the Lakers agreed to keep Mark Williams, an athletic 7-footer with a high ceiling, in a midseason trade with the Hornets. But medical red flags caused Pelinka to get cold feet and rescind the deal.
So the Lakers are back to square one in their search for a rebounder and rim protector to replace Anthony Davis, sacrificed in the Luka deal. A top-shelf center will cost them Reaves at least, and that’s if any are on the market.
As for those whom the Lakers might get for less, Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl, Walker Kessler of the Jazz, Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton could be available. Or maybe the Wolves are ready to part with Rudy Gobert (imagine him being teammates with his arch nemesis, Luka), who had the playoff game of his life Wednesday (27 points, 24 rebounds).
If Reaves is staying put, then the Lakers might hunt for centers with a limited shelf life, including a pair of free agents this summer, Brook Lopez and Clint Capela.
Bottom line is this team desperately craves a big man, and based on Redick’s playoff rotation, there isn’t one currently on the roster they trust.
The Lakers’ lack of size was on full display in Game 5, where Rudy Gobert dominated in helping the Wolves eliminate L.A.
Stick with player development. The Lakers were applauded when Dalton Knecht fell to them in last June’s draft, then started his rookie season on fire, playing his way into the starting lineup.
Then he subsequently played his way out of the lineup, and later the rotation entirely, mainly because of defensive lapses. The Lakers even included him initially in the Mark Williams trade in February.
They could develop him this summer and hope he returns next season new and improved, and if so, that would create two solid options. They could keep him and benefit from his outside shooting, or swap him at the trade deadline, where perhaps an unexpected player comes on the market.
Do the Lakers believe Rui Hachimura has reached his peak? Same with Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent and others? If the Lakers stick with that supporting cast next season and none have another level to their game, there’s the chance of repeating the same overall result — a team capable of winning 45-50 games but not much more.
Hope for a “disgruntled star.” It happens almost every year — a star player asks for a trade and tries to manipulate where he’s headed. The most recent example was De’Aaron Fox, who maneuvered his way out of Sacramento to San Antonio, his preferred destination.
The Lakers are always a destination, even more with prime Luka around.
Wilt Chamberlain had the Lakers on his wish-list in the early 1970s, then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Shaquille O’Neal, then LeBron, then Davis. There’s a trend here.
The chance to seize LeBron’s final years and also play next to Luka — both of whom pass the ball — could appeal to a star who’s ready for a change of scenery.
Don’t place any urgency on winning with LeBron. If the Lakers are all-in for Luka and the future and nothing else, then they’ll ignore any urge to quicken the process to salvage LeBron’s last year or two. That means keeping and extending Reaves and then adding pieces more gradually, over the next few years, whether LeBron is still active or not.
So that’s the scenario as the Lakers prepare for an adventurous offseason in their quest to form a championship nucleus.
It’s a good problem to have, juggle and address. In these restrictive money times, it’s difficult to hoard two superstars, let alone three. When a team does possess two, they’re instantly a title contender provided the rest of the rotation is productive even if there’s no third potential All-Star.
When the Lakers made the trade for Luka, it was with the future in mind, given that Davis was 32. Well, the future and the process starts now.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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