After the Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs by a young and fast Thunder team, Luka Doncic reminisced about what could have happened.
In March, the Big Three were healthy. They went 15-2. They were flying.
“We thought we were going to compete,” said Doncic.
But those hopes faded amid a series of injuries to Doncic (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique), and he ended up crashing against a second-round opponent who was deeper and taller on both ends of the court.
Now a franchise that views anything short of winning a championship as a failure needs to hit the board. Lakers president of basketball and general manager Rob Pelinka shared his opinion during his interview on Tuesday.
The key is building around Doncic, but he believes the Lakers can do that while keeping their Big Three together.
“Yes, we want that core back together,” Pelinka said.
There are a lot of moving pieces for the Lakers this offseason, including the upcoming free agent trades of James, Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton have player options.
One of the biggest dominoes will be James.
The 41-year-old also revealed that he is unsure about his future after the Lakers’ loss to The Thunder on Monday. Pelinka said that if James chooses to return for his 24th season, the Lakers will accept him.
“Yes, any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster,” Pelinka said. “That’s a blessing in itself for what he’s doing.”
For that to work, James would need to accept a significant pay cut from the $52.6 he earned this season.
James, who averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, proved he is willing to sacrifice himself and do what is best for the team after accepting to be the team’s third option this spring. Will the Lakers be able to find a better “role player” than him? No.
And if James chooses to return, the Lakers would appear to be the best situation for him since his family has made LA their home and played for the franchise for the past eight seasons.
But before making any decisions, James wants to talk to his wife, his daughter and his sons, and to ask if he still likes the process.
As for Reaves, who is expected to decline his $14.9 million player option to become a free agent, he made it clear that he loves playing with Doncic and wants to continue playing with James.
Pelinka is waiting for an agreement that will work between the two parties.
“He started his journey here as a Laker and he’s made it clear that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said of Reaves, who averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49% shooting from the field, 36% from deep this season. “And we feel the same way. We want his Odyssey to continue to unfold in the Purple and Gold.”
But if the Lakers get their core back, do they have enough strength to build a program that can compete with the top echelon teams?
This is where the rub lies.
The Lakers have three first-round picks and it’s no secret that they will try to target Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.
But if there’s one thing they’ve learned from their series against the Thunder, it’s that they need more depth.
They are very heavy. Thunder had 13 players who were playing well. The Lakers were lucky if they had six.
“I think depth is very important, athleticism and youth,” Pelinka said. “We have many parts of that in our inventory, but we have to add to it.”
The Lakers also desperately need to strengthen their defense and find more shooters who can spread the court around Doncic. Pelinka hopes to find diamonds in a difficult area that they can develop.
He pointed out that Ajay Mitchell was a second round pick. Mitchell torched LA for 22.5 points per game while playing lockdown defense in their second-round series.
“There are ways to add to your list if you commit to doing the hard work and commit to the process of adding the right pieces,” Pelinka said.
But for the Lakers, everything starts and stops with Doncic, who averaged a league-high 33.5 points per game, was third in assists (8.3) and sixth in steals (1.6).
You belong to them now. You are their future.
Pelinka plans to meet with Doncic on Friday or Saturday. He praised Doncic for being open about the style he likes to play and wants to play with.
“We are always in contact with him and his team,” Pelinka said of the Slovenian star. “I plan to see him before he goes home to spend time with his daughters.”
It’s going to be a very busy season for the Lakers.
Right now there are more questions than answers.
But this much is for sure: The Lakers will need to make some big changes in order to make a run for 18 championships.
“We have to find a way to have a roster that will compete with any team in the NBA,” said Pelinka. “That’s what we do here.”
