Why the Lakers’ quiet trade deadline could make for an explosive offseason

Rui Hachimura couldn’t He hid the smile from his face as he bounced down the ramp into the players’ parking lot at Crypto.com Arena.

Los Angeles Lakers But had just completed a 119-115 come-from-behind victory. philadelphia 76ers Hachimura scored 11 of his 14 points after halftime to win the season series for the first time with Sam Hinkie still in charge of “The Process.”

A few hours ago, the NBA trade deadline passed and LA completed a deal – sending gabe vincent and a 2032 second-round pick atlanta hawks For sharp-shooting guard Luke Kennard. This single transaction ended weeks of speculation about what franchises would do to increase a team’s chances of winning the title under the leadership of luka doncic, Lebron James And Austin Reeves.

Hachimura, who was acquired by L.A. washington wizards Leading up to the 2023 deadline and helping make a run to the conference finals, getting used to life as a Laker — and all that comes with it.

“With the Lakers, we get a lot of rumors,” Hachimura told ESPN. “But many times, those rumors are false—-…

“Now we have a time where it can be said, ‘Okay, this is our group now.’ Because we know this now. So we are ready to move forward.”

Hachimura had one of several expiring contracts on the Lakers’ books, making his $18.3 million salary easier to transfer in any deal. The 28-year-old forward will be a free agent this summer. In any other offseason, the Hachimura situation might have figured prominently on the Lakers’ list of business priorities.

But this summer is no offseason for L.A.

Reaves, who turned down an $89.2 million extension with the Lakers last summer, is eligible for a maximum five-year, $241 million contract.

And James is also a free agent, and his future is as unclear as ever, with the 41-year-old repeatedly saying that he is unsure whether he intends to play next season or whether he will retire after this record-setting 23rd season.

This Lakers team, as currently constructed, is guaranteed only the final 28 games of the regular season – plus whatever playoff haul it can muster.

But what happens next this summer could determine the Lakers’ success – or lack thereof – in years to come.

Lakers’ perspective Kept your powder dry by the deadline, in what could have been an explosive heat.

According to ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks, starting on draft night, L.A. will have three first-round picks available for trade — 2026, 2031 and 2033 — and $51 million in projected cap space, taking into account the $20.9 million free agent hold for Reaves.

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, told reporters that L.A. had turned down such opportunities in order to maintain optionality.

“I would say we were aggressive,” Pelinka said. “And a form of being aggressive is saying no to moves that come your way that may not be best for the short-term and long-term future. It’s like being aggressive even if you don’t do anything, because sometimes it’s hard to say no to a good player that may be a quick short-term solution, but may have implications for the long term where it doesn’t fit into your overall vision for the team.”

The biggest question is whether that vision still includes James.

“The first thing they have to do is move on from LeBron,” an Eastern Conference front office executive told ESPN. “Let him walk and use the space to retool around Luka. It’s important to keep Reeves. [Doncic] Plays best with another ball handler/creator like Kyrie [Irving] And [Jalen] Brunson.”

LA is projected to have $51 million in cap space, it’s calculated Without James and Hachimura, and are assuming deandre ayton ($8.1 million) and marcus smart ($5.4 million) Select your player options.

Sources told ESPN that if James wants to play a 24th season, he would be welcomed back to L.A.

Pelinka announced before the start of this season that he would love if James retired as a Laker, and, sources told ESPN, that sentiment was meant to reflect a 2026 retirement or 2027 retirement if James intends to extend his career.

If James returns, his salary will be a major factor in determining what type of team L.A. can build.

James is being paid $52.6 million this season and has played in the All-Star Game for a record-setting 22nd time. He is averaging 22 points on 50.2% shooting, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Although he took the maximum $2.7 million salary cut on the last deal he signed with L.A. to help the franchise avoid the second-apron penalty, if he had to take a dramatic pay cut to re-sign with the Lakers this summer, it would be a significant deviation from the way he’s negotiated his entire career.

And a considerable amount of cap space will be required to address the current roster deficiencies.

“They need to bring in more defenders with more length who can knock down a shot,” a member of the Eastern Conference front office told ESPN.

Sources tell ESPN that unrestricted free agents that have been discussed internally include Andrew Wiggins And Tari EasonWhereas tobias harris, quentin grimes And dean wade Do other players also fit that profile.

The Lakers also privately discussed the restricted free agent peyton watsonAnd if Denver, which already has $215 million in payroll to bring back players for next season, doesn’t match the offer sheet, it could hire him, sources told ESPN.

“We felt like creating an optionality or having an optionality now is a really positive thing for us going into the offseason,” Pelinka said.

“Because there are some teams that have maybe gotten too deep into the apron. And I think the players, we see around the league, become available when teams get in that position.”

Another option would be to trade for a player who would use the available salary cap space, as the Washington Wizards were able to do when they acquired trey young And anthony davis In this weather.

But the Lakers may target a key player He Strategy is another generational talent 10 years younger than James: giannis antetokounmpo.

game

Stephen A.: LeBron is key for the Lakers to make the playoffs

Stephen A. Smith argues that if the Lakers are healthy and moving forward offensively, they can make a run for the Western Conference playoffs.

lakers, team They apparently see appeal in Antetokounmpo and believe the Bucks will be one of the teams on a very short list if the star asks to be traded out of Milwaukee, sources told ESPN.

A Western Conference executive told ESPN he believes Antetokounmpo is the “big prize” the Lakers hope to get, should that happen milwaukee bucks Decide to trade the 2021 NBA Finals MVP in the offseason.

But despite the saga that has played out so far with the Bucks and their longtime superstar, a trade for Antetokounmpo is by no means guaranteed. The Lakers know that Milwaukee can use the offseason to make the team more competitive and persuade him to sign an extension, which he becomes eligible to do on October 1, rather than accept trading him as an inevitability.

Still, the Lakers’ potential trade package for Antetokounmpo becomes more attractive in the offseason than it would have been had they decided to engage in those talks earlier this month.

The Lakers’ offer would focus on those three future first-round selections, which could be more attractive to Milwaukee if it intends to enter a complete reset after Antetokounmpo, rather than immediately rebuild with a team offer. new York Knicks will focus on players like carl-anthony town And OG Anunoby.

Antetokounmpo has made it clear that he wants to compete for another championship. Doncic and the Lakers celebrated their one-year anniversary together earlier this month, and their partnership so far has included a first-round exit in April, a three-year, $165 million extension for Doncic in August and, currently, the No. 5 seed in the West.

A source familiar with Doncic’s thinking told ESPN that L.A.’s deadline approach with a focus on “adhering to discipline” and the “long-term picture” was supported by the 26-year-old star. With James no longer on the roster, he hasn’t put pressure on the team to add a superstar-level co-star.

Still, this will be an important offseason for Pelinka and Lakers acting governor Jenny Buss, as they work with new owner Mark Walter to find the best way to move forward with Doncic as the face of the franchise.

Pelinka told reporters earlier this month that he and Buss would be in charge of the Lakers’ offseason, putting Walter’s deep pockets to work in hopes of emulating the success of Walter’s other team across town: the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Those Dodgers made a splash by signing a two-way player before their back-to-back titles shohei ohtani The largest deal in MLB history. Can the Lakers make a similar splash this summer?

“[They could] Just say, ‘F—it,'” the Eastern Conference executive said, “and go all in on Giannis.”