After the Lakers were booted from the playoffs by a younger and faster Thunder team, Luka Doncic reminisced about what could’ve been.
In March, the Big Three were healthy. They had gone on a 15-2 run. They were soaring.
“We thought we were gonna compete for a championship,” Doncic said.
But those hopes dimmed amid a string of injuries to Doncic (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique), and ultimately came crashing down against a second-round opponent that was deeper and vastly superior on both ends of the court.
Now a franchise that views anything short of winning a championship as failing needs to hit the drawing board. Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka shared his vision during his exit interview Tuesday.
The priority is building around Doncic, but he believes the Lakers can do that while keeping their Big Three together.
“Of course, we want that core to be back together,” Pelinka said.
There are a lot of moving pieces for the Lakers this offseason, including impending decisions by free agents James, Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton have player options.
One of the biggest dominos will be James.
The 41-year-old reiterated that he’s uncertain about his future after the Lakers’ Game 4 loss to the Thunder on Monday. Pelinka said if James chooses to return for his 24th season, the Lakers would welcome him back.
“Of course, any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster,” Pelinka said. “That’s a blessing in itself just with what he does.”
For that to work, James would need to agree to 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 that he’s willing to sacrifice and do what’s best for the team after embracing becoming the team’s third option this spring. Would the Lakers be able to find a better “role player” than him? No.
And if James chooses to return, the Lakers would seemingly be the best situation for him considering his family has made LA their home and he has played for the franchise for the last eight seasons.
But before making any decisions, James wants to confer with his wife, daughter and sons, as well as do some introspection over whether he’s still “in love with the process.”
As for Reaves, who’s expected to turn down his $14.9 player option to become a free agent, he has made it clear he loves playing alongside Doncic and wants to keep playing with James.
Pelinka anticipates a deal working out between the two parties.
“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us 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 bring back their core, do they have enough maneuverability to construct a roster that can compete with top echelon teams?
Therein lies the rub.
The Lakers have three first-round picks and it’s no secret they’re going to try and target Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.
But if there’s one thing they learned from their series against the Thunder it’s that they need more depth.
They’re too top heavy. The Thunder had 13 players who were playing well. The Lakers were lucky if they had six.
“I think depth is really important, athleticism and youth,” Pelinka said. “We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it.”
The Lakers also desperately need to bolster their defense and acquire more shooters who can spread the court for Doncic. Pelinka hopes to find some diamonds in the rough who they can develop.
He pointed to the fact that Ajay Mitchell was a second round draft pick. Mitchell torched LA with 22.5 points a game while also playing lockdown defense in their second-round series.
“There’s ways to add to your roster 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-leading 33.5 points a game, was third in assists (8.3) and sixth in steals (1.6).
He’s their now. He’s their future.
Pelinka plans to meet with Doncic on Friday or Saturday. He praised Doncic for being open about the style her prefers to play and whom he wants to play alongside.
“We’re in constant communication with him and his team,” Pelinka said of the Slovenian superstar. “I plan on seeing him before he takes off to go home and spend time with his daughters.”
It’s going to be a very active offseason for the Lakers.
Right now there are far more questions than answers.
But this much is for sure: The Lakers are going to need to make some major tweaks to be able to compete for their 18th championship.
“We’ve got to find a way to have a roster that will compete with any team in the NBA,” Pelinka said. “That’s what we do here.”