Whether we admit it or not, we’re coming to the end of an era in the NBA. The landscape is changing, and new title contenders are arising. This is especially true in the West, with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies on the rise. The Lakers could be seen as being on the decline. Despite the evergreen LeBron James turning 40 during the 2024-25 season, this hypothetical Lakers offseason sees them become title favorites again. It will arguably be Rob Pelinka’s magnum opus. He would make some of the most shrewd trades, coaching hires, and off-season moves to pull off this masterstroke. He will need to put LeBron in the best position possible to win a second championship with the Lakers.
Lakers Offseason Could Make Them Title Favorites Again
Coaching Hire
The NBA route
The Lakers’ attempt to replace Darvin Ham has been very public and unproductive so far. The off-season is just days away and the Lakers are yet to hire a head coach. It’s difficult for a coach to have success with his team without a training camp. The front office needs to make a decision quickly. While JJ Redick is an interesting hire, he might not be the best option available. He definitely won’t be the most experienced.
In terms of experience, the Lakers could go the Sam Cassell route. He has a decade’s worth of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA. He’s just a win away from winning a ring with the Boston Celtics. He’s affiliated with Klutch Sports, who represent LeBron and Anthony Davis.
James Borrego is another interesting choice. He’s a two-time NBA champion as an assistant coach for the Spurs. He coached the Charlotte Hornets to a 138-163 record. His teams finished two wins shy of a playoff appearance in back-to-back seasons. In his final season, they had a winning record (43-39) and finished eighth in the NBA in offensive efficiency. It helps that Borrego and AD have some familiarity from his time at the New Orleans Pelicans.
Go the NCAA route
The Lakers could go another route and try to dip their hands into the NCAA pool again. Before you wince as a Lakers fan, it won’t be to beg Dan Hurley. Instead, it should be for Bill Self. Already a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Self ranks among the greatest coaches in college basketball history.
He has been the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks since 2003. During that time, he’s helped the program win two National Championships, eight Big 12 Conference Tournaments, and an immense 16 Big 12 regular season championships. Self also helped the Illinois Fighting Illini win the Big Ten twice. He won the WAC in consecutive seasons with the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. He is someone used to finding success in a highly volatile landscape. The Lakers’ coaching situation being described as highly volatile would be an understatement. If anyone has a chance at success with the Lakers, surely a seasoned coach, albeit at the amateur level, should be able to do the job.
Whoever the Lakers front office settles on, it will be a step in the right direction if the Lakers want to be title favorites again.
Make The Draft Relevant Again
The Lakers organization has had some success in recent years when drafting prospects such as Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, Mo Wagner, Ivica Zubac, Isaiah Jackson, and Lonzo Ball. Even in the undrafted market, there has been success in developing players like Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves. So, the front office has it in them to make the right draft decisions.
During the LeBron Era in Los Angeles, the draft day moves of the Lakers’ front office are always overlooked. There’s a reason that happens. Being in a constant state of contending for a championship prioritizes veterans over youth. Choosing players that know their roles rather than high upside. Perhaps that’s why the Lakers have had success in the undrafted market: they develop older players who know how to play winning basketball in their role.
Drafting a 3-and-D Wing or a Potentially Game-Changing Defender
They should take advantage of a ‘weak’ 2024 draft to fix a glaring issue. The Lakers need a 3-and-D wing, and those are hard to add when you’re a capped-out team in today’s NBA. They could make one the old-fashioned way: through the draft.
The Lakers have the 17th pick and some future picks. The 2025 draft is being perceived as ‘loaded’. They could use that pick and their number 17 pick in this year’s draft to move up on draft night. Some teams that would be willing to trade down include the Spurs (fourth and eighth picks), Trailblazers (seventh), Grizzlies (ninth), and Bulls (11th). The Spurs, in particular, could be an intriguing trade partner as they have two early picks, so they could trade one and still use the other to solve a roster need.
With a prototypical 3-and-D wing in mind, the Lakers could draft Cody Williams, Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland II, or Dalton Knecht. These prospects have shown that they possess the raw materials of size and shooting to demonstrate their potential as 3-and-D Wings. Any one of them could start or come off the bench and develop alongside the greatest forward in NBA history in LeBron. Rui Hachimura arguably had the best season of his career as an alumnus of the LeBron School for Forwards.
If the Lakers find the defensive upside of Donovan Clingan too tempting to pass up, they could potentially form a devastating twin-tower combo reminiscent of the Spurs’ Tim Duncan–David Robinson years. The spacing could be clunky at best in the early years. Clingan has flashed some 3-point shooting potential. Anthony Davis once averaged 33% on 3.5 attempts per game during the 2019-20 title run.
Draft Night Shenanigans
On draft night, the Lakers could acquire an impressive starting caliber center, Mark Williams, from the Charlotte Hornets if the Hornets draft Clingan with the sixth pick. He could become surplus to requirements if Clingan is drafted. The Lakers would be getting an impactful center to back AD on most nights or start when he’s absent due to injuries. Williams is on a two-year, $8.0m deal, so the Lakers could acquire him using Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2026 pick swap. He’s almost nine years younger than Davis, giving them some insurance. Williams averaged 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds with an eFG% of .649 (which would have been tied for the fifth highest in the league if he qualified) during the 2023-24 season. He led his team in PER (22.5) and finished with 1.32 LEBRON.
The Lakers could easily acquire another second-round pick for cash considerations. Bronny James could be drafted with that pick. Being a second-round pick should reduce some of the pressure on him to succeed. It also gives them the ability to use him in the rotation in small minutes but mostly focus on his development in the G-league. LeBron would have to commit to the Lakers before draft day though to ward off teams looking to draft Bronny just to lure him.
This is the first part of this two-article series. We will break down the trades of this off-season that could make the Lakers title favorites again in the next article.
