What Will the Lakers Do Next?

The Lakers season is over after being beaten at home by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday evening in what was a Game 5 elimination game.

Los Angeles could never get into a rhythm in this series, and truthfully, the Timberwolves presented some real matchup issues that the personnel of the Lakers had no answers for. Julius Randle probably is the best like-for-like option in terms of athleticism and size compared to LeBron James in the league. Rudy Gobert was the de facto rim protector with no counterpart. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are two of the best wing defenders in the league. The Lakers had zero answer for Edwards, and when you factor in Minnesota’s far superior bench, it’s not overly surprising the T’Wolves earned the gentleman’s sweep.

The Wolves were bigger, younger, deeper, and more athletic. It wasn’t ideal for James to get nicked up, and for Luka Doncic to clearly not be himself. The same can be said for Austin Reaves who had a hellaciously bad series considering how good he was in the regular season.

Not all is lost for the Lakers. Remember, this team was put together on the fly and changed drastically halfway through the year. Enough time has now passed where strategically a plan can be in place to best utilize Doncic and accentuate his strengths. The Mark Williams trade being nixed clearly hurt the Lakers size-wise, and without a real center, it was always going to be challenging for them to compete within the vaunted Western Conference at the highest level.

With some assets on the books as well as some movable contracts, what will the Lakers do in the offseason?

Address the Center Position

This one is a no-brainer. Jaxson Hayes clearly isn’t a part of the future moving forward. Even with the Lakers getting destroyed on the boards in Game 5 by Gobert, JJ Redick did not opt to use Hayes or Alex Len. That tells you all you need to know about those two players and their possible involvement with the team moving forward.

It was far too easy for Minnesota to get into the lane and attack the paint at will with zero in the way of shot blocking or rim protection. The Lakers need a legitimate five next year — but also one that can run the floor and catch the lobs coming courtesy of Doncic and James. It would be ideal for this player to be an athlete with the ability to pass as well.

Wing Help

Outside of Jarred Vanderbilt, everyone on the Lakers struggled with keeping players out of the paint. The Wolves smartly attacked the Lakers off the dribble knowing that Reaves, Doncic, and James are all below-average defenders in that capacity. When throwing in aging veterans in Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith, Los Angeles desperately needs a refresh at the guard and forward spots. Getting younger, more athletic players should be a top priority.

Hope That Redick Reflects

Much of the blame for this series loss has fallen at the feet of Redick. His decision to not make a second-half sub in Game 4 was perplexing. Prior to Game 5, he stormed out of the press conference after being pressed on that decision. As a young coach, he’ll certainly grow. He even admitted after Game 5 that he can be a lot better as the head coach of this team. With an offseason to tinker and reflect, the hope is that Redick will come back improved and ready to lead this team towards title contention.

Remaining Assets

The team has first-round picks available in 2029, 2030, and 2031. The contracts of Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Maxi Kleber will all be expiring at the end of the next year. As a whole, virtually every contract on the books sans James and Doncic are very movable and could result in interest from squads around the league. Dalton Knecht’s status remains a big unknown leading into next year given he was banished from the rotation in the wake of being reintegrated on the team once the trade involving himself and Williams fell through.