What’s Next for Lakers After First-Round Exit

LOS ANGELES — Making a big midseason trade that shook up the league was the easy part for the Lakers.

Now comes the real challenge: turning themselves into a true championship team with Luka Dončić — and possibly still with LeBron James, whose career is nearing its end.

With today’s tough salary cap rules, it’s not simple for a franchise that’s used to winning titles regularly. The Lakers have won at least one championship every decade except the 1960s, even when obstacles stood in their way.

The trade for Luka completely changed things for the Lakers as LeBron’s long career starts to wind down. Now they have a 26-year-old superstar and a veteran legend who turns 41 in December.

In their first season together, Luka and LeBron did well, finishing third in the West, though they lost to the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs in five games.

That was just the beginning. Now Lakers fans are expecting much more.

So what’s next?

Surprisingly, it’s not just about LeBron or Luka — the key player to watch is Austin Reaves.

Any big changes to the team likely start with Reaves, their best trade piece. He’s 26, creative on the court, and has a great contract at $14 million next season, with a $15 million option after that (which he’s expected to decline in search of a bigger deal).

Since going undrafted, Reaves has become a strong NBA starter. His ability to drive, shoot from long range, and draw fouls has made him valuable, and many teams are watching him closely.

The Lakers have surprisingly managed to keep Austin Reaves for a while, even avoiding sending him to Dallas in a potential Luka Doncic trade. Mavericks fans and many around the league were frustrated that Mavs GM Nico Harrison, who only negotiated with the Lakers, couldn’t bring Reaves in to help fill their backcourt gap after Luka left.

Rob Pelinka deserves credit for holding on to Reaves. But now, after earning a contract extension himself, Pelinka will need to get creative if he wants to keep Reaves and also bring in big-name talent.

Here are a few options the Lakers have:

Trade Reaves. This might be their best shot at getting a strong big man, which is their biggest need right now. Luka and LeBron already provide similar playmaking to what Reaves offers, but at a higher level.

Coach JJ Redick barely used a true center in the playoffs against the Timberwolves and didn’t even start one in Game 5. Right now, Jaxson Hayes is the only option, and he’s not enough.

The Lakers almost solved their center issue earlier by trading for Mark Williams from the Hornets, but concerns about his health made Pelinka back out of the deal.

Now, the Lakers are once again searching for a solid rebounder and rim protector to replace Anthony Davis, who was part of the Luka deal. To get a top-quality center, they’ll likely have to give up Reaves, assuming a good option is even available.

Some possible targets for the Lakers include Jakob Poeltl (Raptors), Walker Kessler (Jazz), Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), and Nic Claxton (Nets). There’s even a chance Rudy Gobert (Wolves) could be available—though teaming him up with Luka would be quite a twist.

If they decide not to trade Reaves, the Lakers might look at veteran free agents like Brook Lopez or Clint Capela this summer.

The bottom line: this team badly needs a reliable big man, and based on Redick’s playoff lineups, they don’t trust anyone on the current roster to do the job.

The Lakers focused on developing players last season. Dalton Knecht, drafted last June, started strong and earned a spot in the starting lineup. But later, his defensive struggles pushed him out of the rotation. He was even part of a proposed trade in February. The Lakers might work on improving him this summer, hoping he comes back stronger. If he does, they can either keep him for his shooting or trade him mid-season for a valuable player.

The team also needs to decide if players like Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Gabe Vincent have more potential to grow. If not, and they keep the same roster, they might end up with another average season—winning 45-50 games but not going further.

The Lakers also hope a star player becomes available, as happens often. Big names like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron, and Davis all joined the Lakers after requesting moves. A top player might want to join to play alongside Luka and LeBron, both known for their passing skills.

If the Lakers are thinking long-term with Luka, they may not rush to win now just because LeBron’s career is nearing its end. They could keep building slowly, keeping players like Austin Reaves, whether or not LeBron stays.

The Lakers have an exciting offseason ahead as they plan for the future. It’s a challenge, but a good one. With two stars already in place, they are contenders if their supporting cast performs well. The trade for Luka was made with the future in mind, and now it’s time to build around him.