Lakerholics

The Lakers might be smart to address their defensive matchup concerns versus teams who start high-scoring backcourts or twin tower front courts by giving 7 players starting opportunities in 5 different starting lineups.

There’s no question JJ Redick would be taking a foolish and unnecessary risk by embracing multiple matchup starting lineups but it could also be a great fit for this Lakers roster that solves many of their defensive issues. Besides a base starting lineup, all NBA teams already have specialized lineups to use against opponents who play small ball, have multiple elite backcourt scorers, two bruising bigs, or both. They just don’t start them.

Most NBA teams prefer to have the same 5 players as their starting lineup.
Wouldn’t it be smarter for them to expand the starters by allowing the best two defenders off the bench to start whenever the matchups call for it?
The Lakers should designate 7 starters and utilize them to create 5 lineups: a base starting lineup plus 4 custom lineups for small ball, better backcourt defense, front court defense, or both backcourt and front court defense.

For the purposes of illustration, I have presumed the Lakers do out and trade Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dalton Knecht for 2 elite defenders Andrew Wiggins and Robert Williams.
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Andrew Wiggins, LeBron James, and De’Andre Ayton would be core starters. Normally, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams would be 6th and 7th man. On the Lakers, they also get an occasional start.

The goal of the matchup starting lineup strategy is twofold. It’s designed to improve starting lineup defensive matchups and accelerate development of additional starters. If your base starting lineup works, you just go with it.
But if you’re playing against multiple high-powered backcourt shooters, you might want to start Marcus Smart instead of Austin Reaves. Against a team with two bigs, you might want Robert Williams instead of Andrew Wiggins,

Bottom line, adding Smart and Williams as matchup starters would greatly improve Lakers’ defense. Following are the proposed Lakers’ base starting lineup along with four customized defensive matchup starting lineups:

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Don’t look now but Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ much maligned president of basketball operations, may have pulled off the best offseason of his front office career and positioned the purple and gold for a championship run.

Under immense pressure from soon-to-retire LeBron James, newly traded superstar Luka Doncic, and brand new owner Mark Walter, Rob Pelinka managed to sign four impact players without giving up any draft capital. Rob moved from #55 to #36 to draft defensive forward Adou Thiero and signed free agent starting center De’Andre Ayton, promising backup small forward Jake LaRavia, and defense-first backup point guard Marcus Smart.

The above depth chart clearly shows how Pelinka has transformed the Lakers’ heavily one-way player offense-first roster into a roster with better offense-defense balance and more two-way players than one-way players.
Projected starters are in the top row, backups in second row, and reserves in third row. First column shows point guards, second shooting guards, third small forwards, fourth power forwards, and fifth column centers.

After Smart clears waivers and signs, the Lakers will have 14 active players. Right now, Jarred Vanderbilt would likely be the starting small forward for more defense with Rui Hachimura coming off the bench for more offense.
Studying the depth chart, however, it’s obvious that all the Lakers need to be a legitimate title contender is an elite 3&D starting small forward, which they could add before the season or wait until midseason trade deadline.

Bottom line, Rob Pelinka has the Lakers perfectly positioned not only to compete for a championship this season but also to replace LeBron James with a second superstar via trade or free agency in summer 2026 or 2027.

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Trade for Starting Small Forward Before Season Or Before Deadline?

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The Lakers under Rob Pelinka have traditionally favored making trades in midseason before the trade deadline, embracing the strategy that this is when player prices will be the lowest and the best deals can be made.

Most smart NBA front offices strive to make major changes in the offseason rather than in midseason to give their coaching staff and players a chance to play and practice together and figure out how to play during preseason.
Bringing in new starters or key rotation players midseason is challenging because NBA teams simply do not have the opportunities to practice due to the regular season schedule and have less than half a season of games left.

While it would be great if the Lakers did not make a trade and Vanderbilt managed to stay healthy, play like an all-pro on defense, and simply do the little team-first things on offense, that still might not be good enough.
Scrambling at the trade deadline to find a deal Rob believes is a winner for a key starting small forward seems like a repeat of previous disappointing offseasons. The Lakers would be smarter to trade now rather than later.

Trading now for the ‘right’ starting small forward would not only give the new starter a chance to bond with his teammates in camp and preseason but would also give the front office a second midseason bite at the apple.
If necessary, the Lakers could even include a 2028 first round pick swap as part of an Andrew Wiggins package while still being able to trade their 2026, 2031, and 2033 first round picks for a superstar on draft day 2026.

Rob Pelinka needs to understand the Lakers are now just one or two impact players away from becoming a legitimate championship contender for next season. Trade for the final championship pieces before the season starts.

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Replace LeBron Via Blockbuster Trade or Free Agent Signing?

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Hoovering over every move Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office makes is the emerging reality that this is almost certainly LeBron James’ final season as a Los Angeles Laker and very possibly his last year in the NBA.

Rumors have started that #23 will announce before the season that he will retire as a Los Angeles Laker at the end of his 23rd season in the NBA. This will also be strong motivation for the Luka Lakers to go all-in next season.
This is the storybook ending the Lakers and LeBron were choreographing all offseason. It’s why the Lakers never offered an extension and why Klutch Sports never asked for an extension. Lakers and LeBron in sync.

Just as he can make a consolidation before the start or during the season, Rob Pelinka has positioned the Lakers with two opportunities to replace LeBron James with a new superstar in summer of 2026 or summer 2027.
The strategy Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office has put together to replace LeBron James is designed to enable them to trade for a superstar the summer of 2026 or sign a free agent superstar the summer of 2027.

The Lakers’ strategy makes perfect sense. No max contract superstars are projected to be free agents next summer so the Lakers will focus on using their three first round picks to trade for a superstar to replace LeBron.
While it’s early, the Lakers top two superstar targets to replace LeBron James are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, both of whom have player options for 2027–28 and could be in play the summer of 2027.

Look for Lakers to continue to hold onto their first round draft picks as the most likely pathway to acquiring a superstar big to replace LeBron James is via a blockbuster 2027 offseason trade rather than free agency signing.

Building a championship era around Luka Doncic will take equal doses of science and art: science in assessing what works with Luka and where the league is headed and art in turning that data into a plan to optimize Luka.

So far, the Lakers have done an excellent job moving up in the draft to pick elite defensive wing Adou Thiero and spending their NT MLE for enigmatic starting center De’Andre Ayton and promising small forward Jake LaRavia.
Being able to land 26-year old former #1 pick De’Andre Ayton for $8 million per year not only gives the Lakers a potential massive upside at center but also leaves them with the ability to still pursue additional defensive help.

While Ayton gives them a major upgrade at center, the Lakers still need a starting small forward who’s an elite point-of-attack perimeter defender and a second backup center who can protect the rim and stretch the floor.
The Lakers are prioritizing having three tradable picks next summer so they’re unlikely to trade their one tradable pick this summer, which will make it a hard to acquire the defensive players they so desperately need.

The Lakers’ active roster currently has 15 players: 10 keepers in James, Doncic, Reaves, James Jr, Goodwin, Ayton, LaRavia, Thiero, Hayes, Kleber and 5 to move in Hachimura, Vincent, Vanderbilt, Knecht, and Milton.
The Lakers obviously need a consolidation trade where they move 2 for 1, 3 for 2, or even 4 for 2 or 5 for 3 to remove the excessive dead wood from the roster and make room for a coming wave of minimum and buyout players.

So let’s take a closer look at what works with Luka, where the league is currently headed, and what the Lakers’ master plan should be to build a championship era around 26-year old superstar point guard Luka Doncic.

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WHAT WORKS WITH LUKA?

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The formula for building a championship roster around superstar point guard Luka Doncic is no secret. He needs elite 3-point shooters and vertical lob threats on offense and plus defenders to help cover for him on defense.

The science about what kinds of players with which to surround Luka Doncic is pretty clear. Offensively, he prefers to be surrounded by elite 3-point shooters with a pogo-stick center who’s a lethal vertical lob threat.
Defensively, Luka needs to surrounded by multiple long, athletic, and physical young defenders who possess the speed and quickness to smother opposing teams’ offenses and help cover for his lack of defensive focus.

Being able to sign the enigmatic De’Andre Ayton, 26-year old former #1 pick in the draft, as their starting center for $8 million per year was a gamble that could be a difference-maker as De’Andre could be perfect for Luka.
There’s no question Ayton has the ability to be an elite starting center. He’s proven he’s a durable double-double points and rebounds machine. The question has always been about his effort level and decision making.

While the Lakers would love to add a second backup center who could better protect the rim and stretch the floor than Hayes, their greatest need now is for a two-way 3&D starting small forward to replace Rui Hachimura.
If they’re now keeping their one tradable pick to have three next draft day, the Lakers may have to start Hachimura or hope the Heat will lower their trade price for Andrew Wiggins or the Wizards will buyout Marcus Smart.

At this point, the Lakers have done an excellent job surrounding Luka Doncic with elite 3-point shooters and finding a complementary starting center. They just need to balance roster with a pair of elite wing defenders.

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WHERE IS LEAGUE HEADED?

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The league is undergoing a generational changing of the guard with the traditional powerhouses being replacing by new stars and teams with deep, diverse rosters of long, athletic two-way players who can shoot and defend.

Leading the new wave of defensive powerhouses are the three Texas teams: the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs who are redefining how positional size advantages can dominate in today’s NBA.
A new wave of bigger, longer, faster, quicker, and more physically athletic players is overwhelming the league and changing how the game is played, revving up the speed, quickness, athleticism, and physicality of the game.

The game of basketball is changing right in front of us. The size and skills of the players themselves has shrunken the court and changed the basic geometry of the game of basketball. This is going to be a brand new NBA.
After decades of 3-point shot domination, we may finally be seeing a shift in direction back to an era where increased athleticism and physicality on the defensive end pushes back and changes what it takes to win in the NBA.

There’s been a strong trend towards NBA teams loading up on bigger, longer, faster, and quicker defensive oriented wings as the key components to building efficient modern defenses in today’s wing-driven league.
In many ways, we’re rapidly approaching what could be called a modern era where NBA teams are ultimately striving to build truly positionless starting lineups and 10-man rotations with multiple 6′ 8″ two-way players.

The NBA is on the verge of a dramatic new era where size, length, speed, quickness, athleticism, and physicality become the new measurables as the league gets bigger, longer, faster, quicker, more athletic and physical.

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WHAT IS LAKERS’ MASTER PLAN?

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The Lakers’ master plan is optimize Luke Doncic by surrounding him in short-term with long athletic 3-point shooters who defend their positions and pairing him long-term with a top-5 superstar big man in his prime.

The Lakers essentially have two plans. The goal for this summer and the upcoming midseason trade deadline is move one-way players for two-way players and to continue to surround Luka with size, defense, and shooting.
Right now, the Lakers still have at minimum 5 one-way players whom they need to swap for two-way players, which will be their major objective the rest of this offseason and leading up to the midseason trade deadline.

There’s been mixed messages from the Lakers’ front office as to their plans to replace LeBron James, whom is on an expiring contract and could very likely be playing his final season in purple and gold if not in the NBA. While there’s been talk about a long-term plan to clear cap space for summer of 2027 when Jokic and Antetokounmpo become free agents, the Lakers are also setting themselves up to trade for a second superstar.

The Lakers two-year long-term master plan to add a second superstar focuses on either trading for a second superstar during the summer of 2026 or signing a max contract free agent superstar during the summer of 2027.
By holding onto their one tradable first round pick, the Lakers will be able to offer their 2026, 2031, and 2033 first round picks and their 2028, 2030, and 2032 pick swaps next summer. That’s a total of 6 first round draft picks.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ master plan is to surround Luka Doncic with complementary elite shooters and defenders in the short term and to pair him with a second superstar forward or center in the long term.

The Lakers make the Jazz a Godfather offer that includes Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and their 2027 and 2031 unprotected first round picks for Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson, and Utah two second round picks.

The Jazz have refused to consider trading Walker Kessler unless they get an offer they can’t refuse. Because of his age, size, salary, and skillset, Kessler is clearly the Lakers’ best option to be their starting center of the future. Utah reportedly wants a minimum of two picks for Kessler. The Lakers’ offer arguably is equal to four picks since the Jazz could easily flip Reaves and Knecht for two more first round picks to go with Lakers’ 2027 and 2031.

We saw the Orlando Magic use the exact same strategy of making a Godfather offer to the Memphis Grizzlies to turn Desmond Band from untouchable to tradable. That is exactly what the Lakers need to do.
Identify the one player who’s critical for your next season. For the Lakers, that player is 23-year old Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game.

While the Lakers also need to upgrade their perimeter defense against guards and wings, their top priority was to trade for a dynamic young starting center to fix their rim protection and rebounding problems.
There is no other available starting center other than Kessler for whom the Lakers would consider including Austin Reaves and there is probably no way Austin and Danny Ainge would trade Kessler without getting Reaves.

The Lakers cannot start another NBA season without a legitimate starting center. Nothing is more important for L.A. this summer than trading for the ‘right’ center. Winning the offseason starts with Walker Kessler.

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WHY GO ALL-IN ON WALKER KESSLER?

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Walker Kessler is not only the ‘right’ player for the Lakers to risk going all-in on and offering Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and two first round picks but his low salary also leaves room to trade for two other new starters.

Even with Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, one first round pick, and four pick swaps, the Lakers simply don’t have enough tradable contracts and/or draft capital to swap for three new starters unless one’s on a rookie deal.
Aside from playing the center, Walker Kessler is still on his rookie contract, which means the Lakers would still have enough room under the first tax apron to trade for two new starters earning around $25 million per year.

While the Lakers would like to keep Reaves, they also understand that he’s likely the key trading chip to get the Ainges to agree to trade Walker Kessler to the Lakers at all. Reaves can be flipped for more than a first round pick.
And Walker Kessler is clearly the best fit as starting center available to the Lakers right now. His elite size, rim protection, lob threat, and rebounding will quickly help them dramatically improve at both ends of the court.

The Lakers cannot open the 2025–26 season without a legitimate starting center, not after failing to fix their center rotation the last four years and having their asses handed to them by the Timberwolves in the playoffs.
With LeBron eligible to become a free agent this summer and Luka slated to do the same next summer, Rob Pelinka is facing extreme pressure to find both legitimate starting and backup centers before the season starts.

Trading Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and two first round picks for Walker Kessler is the Los Angeles Lakers going all-in to start Luka’s purple and gold era and end LeBron’s with their Celtics-matching 18th NBA championship.

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TRADE FOR TWO CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENDERS

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Once the Walker Kessler trade is complete, the Lakers will still have $50 million in matching salaries and four first round pick swaps to use to trade for former championship defenders Andrew Wiggins and Marcus Smart.

To compete for the NBA championship, the Lakers must surround their two superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James with three elite starters who are legitimate two-way players who can’t be played off the floor in the playoffs.
That means the Lakers need to replace Jaxson Hayes with a starting center who can defend the rim, Rui Hachimura with a starting small forward who can defend wings, and Austin Reaves with an alpha dog 3&D POA defender.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ proposed trade for Andrew Wiggins would send Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, and their 2026 and 2030 unprotected first round pick swaps to the Miami Heat for Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins won an NBA championship ring with the Warriors in 2022 and would be a perfect fit on Lakers as starting small forward. Besides shooting 37.4% on 5.8 threes per game, Wiggins remains an elite wing defender.

The other proven championship caliber perimeter defender the Lakers should trade for is Marcus Smart, who’s now stuck on the rebuilding Wizards and could be acquired for Hachimura, Milton, and a pick swap.
Marcus has struggled with injuries since being traded and needs to be on a contending team where his great heart, hustle, and elite defense matters. Smart still posted 9.0/2.1/3.2 with 1.1 steals in just 20.0 minutes per game.

Besides the mega trade for rim protecting center Walker Kessler, the Lakers transform their starting lineup into a defensive juggernaut by trading for defense-first two-way wing Andrew Wiggins and guard Marcus Smart.