The Lakers entered the offseason with a pretty clear goal, as divisive as it may have been among the fan base. They were not going to commit money long-term, instead eyeing short-term deals, flexibility and the opportunity to chase big names in free agency — or via trade — in coming years.
That approach played at least part of a role in them losing out on Dorian Finney-Smith, the most notable departure from the roster this offseason.
However, after seeing Luka Dončić commit to the franchise long-term,
and perhaps after seeing how Luka has recommitted himself physically this summer, the Lakers’ approach on roster-building may have changed. Longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein first reported that LA could be more open to taking on long-term contracts, something that Dan Woike of The Athletic confirmed and elaborated upon in his piece on Thursday.
According to team and league sources, the Lakers’ stance on roster improvements heading into this season has shifted because of the start of this new chapter together.
While the Lakers had resisted scenarios in which the team would take on contracts that lasted beyond the 2025-26 season earlier this summer, Dončić’s multi-year commitment has nudged LA’s priorities in more aggressive directions.
Some fans may be asking why the team changed it’s approach after the offseason, especially when it cost them a valuable piece of last year’s rotation. For one, the team would not have been able to add the trio of Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia had they retained Finney-Smith.
For two, waiting to see if Luka would commit long-term is a fair approach to take. If the team does commit money long-term, but then something happens and Luka doesn’t, in turn, commit long-term, the Lakers are not only entering a future without a superstar, but one where they’re also saddled with long-term money on the books.
There was always going to be a point where their mindset would shift from the future to the present. As such, there was always going to be a time when fans could look back and say, ‘Well, if they’d just made up their mind sooner, we could have kept [insert random player].‘ Ultimately, doing this after losing out on DFS and adequately replacing his production and minutes in the offseason feels as good a time as any.
It also should be noted that Woike, like Stein, singled out Andrew Wiggins as a player the team could be interested in. Neither reporter did more than hypothesize about him, but that both players mentioned him feels notable. It could be nothing more than circling back on reports from earlier in the summer, but if both did it independently of one another, it’s probably worth keeping in mind.
Whether the Lakers should trade for him and what they should be willing ot give up in a trade is another conversation, but the fact it can be a more realistic conversation now is the most notable part about all of this.
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