Lakerholics

The Los Angeles Lakers get a rare second chance this summer to surround superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with three championship quality starters who possess critically needed 3-point shooting and defense.

Professional sports teams rarely get a second chance to do something right they did wrong last time, but that’s exactly where the Los Angeles Lakers will find themselves this summer as they get a mulligan of sorts for last summer. Committed to ending the Westbrook experiment, the Lakers decided at the deadline to hold onto all of their trading chips until summer to improve their chances of being able to swap Russ and pieces for three new starters.

Finding a trading partner for Westbrook should be easier this summer than at the deadline because Russ’ $47 salary suddenly becomes a huge expiring contract coveted by teams looking to clear cap space or dump contracts. Besides Russell Westbrook (Player Option), Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn (Player Option), Austin Reaves, and Stanley Johnson (Team Option), the Lakers will also be able to offer their 2027 and 2029 first round picks.

Whether the Lakers will be able to do this summer what they didn’t do last summer could well determine the future of the franchise. If the Lakers are forced to buyout, waive, and stretch Russ, it could cripple their cap space. On the other hand, if Pelinka can find a team desperate to move good players on long-term deals for expiring contracts, the Laker could have a legitimate chance to correct the mistake they made in trading for Russ.

The key to the Lakers being able to do right this summer what they should have done last summer will be their willingness as a franchise to accept back players with multiple year contracts to move Westbrook’s $47 million contract. That’s the only way the Lakers are going to turn Russ’ expiring contract into an asset and trading chip and not a liability that would cost them valuable draft capital or waive-and-stretch dead cap space to move.

Here are three possible scenarios where the Lakers get a second chance to do what they should have done last summer and surround LeBron and AD with with championship starting players who can shoot, pass, and defend.

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1. Trade for Christian Wood, Buddy Hield, and Malcolm Brogdon

Christian Wood, 26-years old, 6′ 9″, 214 lbs
Averaging 17.9/10.1/2.2 in 31.2 mpg
Shooting 49.4%/38.1%/60.8% on 4.9 3PA

Buddy Hield, 29-years old 6′ 4″, 220 lbs
Averaging 15.2/4.3/2.5 in 39.2 mpg
Shooting 47.5%/36.8%/91.7% on 8.6 3PA

Malcolm Brogdon, 29-years old, 6′ 5″, 229 lbs
Averaging 19.1/5.3/6.0 in 33.6 mpg
Shooting 44.6%/37.7%/88.1% on 5.2 3PA

The Lakers’ best option to redo what they did wrong last offseason is to trade Russ, THT, Nunn, and their 2027 and 2029 first round picks for three new starters in Christian Wood, Buddy Hield, and Malcolm Brogdon.

By trading Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and their 2027 first round pick to the Indiana Pacers in a salary dump for Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon, the Lakers can miraculously reverse last summer’s big trade. They not only get out of Russ’ contract but get the perfect two-way point guard in Malcolm Brogdon and volume 3-point sharpshooter in Buddy Hield, the shooting guard the Lakers almost traded for instead of Russ last summer.

The best player in these trades and difference-maker in this Lakers’ rebuilding scenario is Christian Wood, whom the Lakers get from the Rockets in exchange for Horton-Tucker, Nunn, and their 2029 first round pick. Christian not only gives the Lakers the athletic big they were missing to make their small-ball-on-steroids lineups work but also a second elite shot-blocking stretch center to share the four and five with Anthony Davis.

A starting lineup for next season of Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Christian Wood would be the dramatic upgrade in offensive firepower and defensive rim protection the Lakers need. While they gave up THT and Nunn, the Lakers should still have a solid group of valuable young role players coming off the bench, including Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, and Stanley Johnson, along with veteran Carmelo Anthony.

Trading for Wood, Hield, and Brogdon should be the Lakers’ top option to upgrade next season’s starting lineup. They give the Lakers the 3-point shooting, rim protection, and perimeter defense they need to win it all.

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2. Trade for Jerami Grant, Evan Fournier, and Kemba Walker

Jerami Grant, 27-years old, 6′ 8″, 210 lbs
Averaging 19.1/4.1/2.6 in 32.3 mpg
Shooting 42.0%/34.0%/83.9% on 5.3 3PA

Kemba Walker, 31-years old, 6′ 0″, 184 lbs
Averaging 11.6/3.0/3.5 in 25.6 mpg
Shooting 40.3%/36.7%/84.8% on 5.4 3PA

Evan Fournier, 29-years old 6′ 6″, 205 lbs
Averaging 15.2/4.3/2.5 in 39.2 mpg
Shooting 42.0%/39.0%/69.9% on 7.6 3PA

The Lakers’ next option to redo what they did wrong last offseason is trade Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, Nunn, and their 2027 and 2029 first round picks for three new starters in Jerami Grant, Evan Fournier, and Kemba Walker.

By trading Russ’ $47 million expiring contract to the Knicks in a salary dump for Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, and Cam Reddish, the Lakers could avoid sacrificing a first round pick to move Westbrook. Instead, they essentially break Westbrook’s $47 million contract into four separate contracts for $9.1 million, $10.0 million, $18.0 million, and $5.9 million that they can keep or flip or aggregate for different players.

The star player the Lakers land in this rebuilding scenario is 27-year old Jerami Grant, who is the bigger 3&D wing the Lakers desperately need to complement their LeBron James and Anthony Davis small ball lineups. Jerami gives the Lakers the small forward they have missed who can score from all three levels and, most importantly, give the Lakers the elite wing defender who can guard bigger scoring wings like Kawhi Leonard.

A starting lineup for next season of Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Jerami Grant, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis would be a major upgrade over the Lakers’ current starters, especially in 3-point shooting and firepower. While they lost THT, Johnson, and Nunn, the Lakers still have solid help off the bench in returnees Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, and Carmelo Anthony and new additions from the Knicks in Cam Reddish and Alex Burks.

Trading for Grant, Fournier, and Walker should be a top option for Lakers to upgrade next season’s starting lineup. They give the starting lineup a huge boost in offensive firepower and high volume 3-point shooting.

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3. Trade for Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and John Wall

Christian Wood, 26-years old, 6′ 9″, 214 lbs
Averaging 17.9/10.1/2.2 in 31.2 mpg
Shooting 49.4%/38.1%/60.8% on 4.9 3PA

Eric Gordon, 33-years old, 6′ 3″, 215lbs
Averaging 13.9/2.0/2. 8 in 29.8 mpg
Shooting 47.6%/41.1%/77.1% on 5.4 3PA

John Wall, 31-years old 6′ 3″, 210 lbs
Averaging 20.6/3.2/6.9 in 32.2 mpg
Shooting 40.4%/31.7%/74.9% on 6.2 3PA

The Lakers’ third option to redo what they did wrong last offseason is to trade Westbrook, THT, Nunn, Johnson, and their 2027 and 2029 first round picks for three new starters in Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and John Wall.

The Lakers are essentially swapping Russell Westbrook and their 2027 first round pick for John Wall and Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Stanley Johnson, and their 2029 first round pick for Eric Gordon and Christian Wood. Wood, Gordon, and Wall would be a massive upgrade for the Lakers’ starting lineup over this season. Suddenly, the Lakers would not only boast better spacing and 3-point shooting but also better interior and perimeter defense.

There’s a lot to like about this trade for the Lakers. They get a proven quality point guard replacement for Westbrook in John Wall, a starting stretch five center in Christian Wood to let LeBron and AD play their preferred positions. The Lakers get an elite high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter in veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon, who averaged over 40% on over five 3-point attempts per game while defending multiple positions at an elite level.

A starting lineup for next season of John Wall, Eric Gordon, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Christian Wood could be a championship team with the lethal firepower and rim protection and perimeter defense the Lakers need. While they gave up THT, Nunn, and Johnson, the Lakers should still have a solid group of valuable role players coming off the bench, including young Malik Monk and Austin Reaves and elite veteran Carmelo Anthony.

Trading for Wood, Gordon, and Wall should be one of the Lakers’ options to upgrade next season’s starting lineup. This is a deal the Lakers should seriously consider to add three championship quality starters.

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The Los Angeles Lakers need to win games and moving Russell Westbrook to the bench the rest of the season and staggering his minutes with James and Davis could make it easier to build a winning starting lineup and rotations.

One of the major reasons the Lakers have been unable to win many games this season has been their poor roster construction, which led head coach Frank Vogel to regularly deploy a collection of fundamentally flawed lineups. Rob Pelinka didn’t do Frank Vogel any favors when he gave him a James, Davis, Westbrook superstar big three. Russ hasn’t fit well and his presence makes it hard to surround LeBron and AD with shooting and defense.

The Lakers were desperate to find shooters and defenders to surround James and Davis but trading for Russell Westbrook, who is not a good shooter or defender, only exacerbated the situation and made it worse. Forget injuries to LeBron and AD. The reality is Lakers’ lineups with all three superstars LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook have played a total of 376 minutes this season with a negative net rating of -2.5.

The only strategy the Lakers haven’t tried is bringing Westbrook off the bench and staggering his minutes versus James and Davis to make it easer to surround them with shooters and defenders and let Russ feast against backups. The Lakers are desperate to win games and reverting to a starting lineup with just two superstars could be the catalyst to enable Frank Vogel to create more effective starting lineups and rotations and win more games.

Let’s take a look at how moving Russell Westbrook to the bench and staggering his minutes with LeBron and AD could help the Los Angeles Lakers win more games and maybe find success in the playoffs.

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1. Lakers’ Starting Lineup Will Be Better Without Westbrook

Russell Westbrook starting not only takes possessions from LeBron James and Anthony Davis but Russ’ lack of gravity as a 3-point shooter makes it easy to pack the paint and prevent LeBron and AD from attacking the rim.

Even more distressing is the recent scuttlebutt we’re hearing behind the scenes that Westbrook has become almost defiant and pushed back “when coaches and teammates have tried to broach changes in his role or approach.” Word is both the Lakers and Westbrook are ready to move on next season, which raises the question of what the Lakers should do with Russ these last 20 games since the relationship may become adversarial.

Removing Russ from the starting lineup would give Lakers head coach Frank three instead of two starting positions to add the playmaking, shooting, and defense needed to complement superstars James and Davis. Building an elite starting lineup around three superstars is almost impossible as there is no way to ‘surround’ LeBron, AD, and Russ with playmakers, shooters, and defenders when you only have two starters available.

Frankly, the time’s come to stop treating Russ like he’s a legit third superstar on a championship caliber team. He’s now become the mistake the Lakers will likely have to sacrifice a couple of draft picks to fix this summer. Truth is Westbrook is just a poor fit as starter because what he brings to the table offensively or defensively does not complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis or make it easier for them excel at either end of the court.

Right now, the Lakers are losing the minutes when LeBron, AD, and Russ are on the court together. Benching Russ could be the solution to the Lakers winning the minutes the starters are on the floor together going forward.

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2. Westbrook Will Be More Effective Player Coming Off Bench

While Westbrook will not be happy coming off the bench for the last 20 games of this season, it could be an chance for him to showcase his brand and what he’s capable of doing when not limited to being third option.

Russell Westbrook’s subpar season has clearly been =impacted by playing most of his minutes alongside LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis. He has a -4.0 Net Rating playing with James and a -2.3 Net Rating and with Davis. Russ has actually played better without LeBron James than with him this season, averaging 21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists while shooting 44.8/345.7/72,2% in 35.5 minutes in 17 games without LeBron James.

Westbrook has struggled mightily when playing with LeBron and AD, often deferring to them rather than playing his normal super aggressive game. Bringing him off the bench will put Russ in situations where he can excel. Westbrook should realize his game is better suited to come off the bench, where he can once again be the alpha dog and his relentless attacking style will be able to take advantage of playing against a team’s backup players.

Now that the Lakers and Russ have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of this season, Russ needs to be sold on the idea this is the best way for him to show teams his subpar season is primarily due to his fit on the Lakers. He needs to understand that becoming a force off the bench without LeBron and AD could be the perfect opportunity to showcase his game over the next 20 games, the play-in tournament, and ultimately the NBA Playoffs.

Russ’ market value has taken a hard hit with the Lakers and a chance to be the Lakers’ alpha player who gets the touches and shots off the bench could benefit the Lakers need to win games and Russ to redeem his brand.

While the chances the Los Angeles Lakers would trade their entire superstar big three are slim and none, it’s intriguing to consider what the purple and gold could get for Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James.

While there’s little question the Lakers will attempt to trade Westbrook and his $47 million expiring contract this summer, the idea of Los Angeles also trading LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be an extreme makeover. Although it’s been a tough last two seasons, trading a James and Davis duo that dominated every round of the playoffs and won their 17th NBA championship in the bubble less than 18 months ago would be stupid.

While the odds of a Lakers’ total rebuild seem remote, trading James and Davis would have to be motivated on expectation the 37-year old James and injury prone Davis are no longer good enough to win another championship. Hence, the smart move is to trade them while their value is still high enough to bring back not only younger potential stars and role players to enable the Lakers to avoid a complete overhaul and still compete for a title.

While Russ is the sure superstar the Lakers will trade, let’s look at what L.A. could conceivably receive for trading Russell Westbrook, then LeBron James, and finally Anthony Davis in an extreme makeover this summer.

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1. Proposed Russell Westbrook Trade

The one superstar the Lakers do have to trade is Westbrook, whose $47 million expiring contract should finally become a valuable trading chip. The key is finding a trade partner looking to reduce long-term commitments.

The Pacers should be one of the Lakers’ possible trading partners as they have two players in Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield whose multi-year contracts they would like to move on from and who’d be Lakers upgrades. The salary dump trade that makes sense for the Lakers and Pacers is Russell Westbrook’s $47.1 million expiring contract for Malcolm Brogdon’s 3-year $67 million contract and Buddy Hield’s 2-year $40 million contract.

What’s great about this trade is it works whether the Lakers plan to trade Anthony Davis and/or LeBron James. If the Lakers do plan to trade either of them, they will need to expand this trade to include Pacers’ Myles Turner. The perfect solution for the Lakers would like to expand the Westbrook for Brogdon and Hield trade to include Horton-Tucker, Nunn, and the Lakers’ unprotected 2027 first round pick in return for Pacers center Myles Turner.

The expanded Westbrook trade would not only give the Lakers an elite stretch five shot-blocking center in Turner to replace Davis but also two high quality starters or backups in Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield.

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2. Proposed LeBron James Trade

If the Lakers were able to get the Pacers to trade Turner, Brogdon, and Hield for Russ, THT, Nunn, and the 2027 pick, they might be smart to stop there. Those three new starters are a perfect fit with LeBron James and AD.

A starting lineup of Brogdon, Hield, James, Davis, and Turner would solve the Lakers’ issues with size and give them the versatility to play small with Davis or James at five or go with two-bigs with Turner at five and Davis at four. Here’s where the Lakers’ worries about 37-year old LeBron James’ physical decline and his and Anthony Davis’ tendency to get injured become factors. The question is can LeBron and AD still lead the Lakers to championships?

LeBron at 37-years old is already starting to show signs of physical decline and more frequent and serious injuries. If the Lakers do not believe they can still win a title with LeBron, they should look to trade him and keep AD. Anthony Davis at 28-years old is still a top ten player and trading LeBron back to Cleveland for Sexton, Markkanen, and Okoro would give the Lakers two legitimate NBA starters along with a elite defensive role player.

The key to the James trade for the Lakers is Sexton and two first round draft picks to replenish their trade assets stockpile. The Lakers see Sexton as one of the team’s new young stars to replace LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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3. Proposed Anthony Davis Trade

After trading Westbrook and James, the Lakers have two options. They could stand pat by adding Turner, Sexton, Brogdon, Hield, Markkanen, and Okoro to complement Anthony Davis or take the final step and trade AD.

Trading LeBron James may have made trading Anthony Davis a necessity due to Klutch Sports. Anthony Davis may demand to be traded if LeBron is traded. Trading LeBron and AD would sever the alliance with Klutch Sports. The trade would be Anthony Davis to Boston for Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, giving the Lakers a second young star in Brown to pair with Sexton as the team’s future star duo to replace LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

While the Lakers lose AD, they receive two proven All-Star 3&D starters in return in Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. Smart is the lock-down defensive guard and Brown the All-Star defender and elite scorer the Lakers need. Today’s NBA is a guard and wing driven league and, like the Westbrook and James trades, the Davis trade helps the Lakers become a better, deeper, and younger team that should have a decades long championship window.

Trading Anthony Davis would signal the end of the Lakers/Klutch alliance and LeBron’s 4-year stint with the purple and gold. But the trade would also be the piece de resistance of a dramatic Lakers’ extreme makeover.

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4. Roster After Trading Superstar Big Three

The above Westbrook, Davis, and James trades would give give the Lakers eight new players: Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and Isaac Okoro.

Five of those eight new players would be projected as starters, including Collin Sexton, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Lauri Markkanen, and Myles Turner. Brogdon, Hield, and Okoro would become backups to the starters. The Lakers would also bring back four players from this year’s team: Carmelo Anthony, Austin, Reaves, and Stanley Johnson. That would leave three rosters spots open for free agents and players from the NBA Draft.

The new Lakers roster would be extremely talented and deep at both guard and small forward positions with three All-Star starters in Sexton, Smart, and Brown and three starter quality backups in Brogdon, Hield, and Okoro. While Turner gives the Lakers a shot-blocking stretch five center, they also need to use empty roster spots and even a trade of a valued guard like Hield to upgrade their front court with a power forward like Christian Wood.

There’s no question the Lakers should be able to find trading partners for all three of their superstars should they decide to undergo an extreme makeover. The resulting roster could be good enough to be a contender. However, we’ve all seen how teams constructed on paper often don’t translate on the hardwood. It’s easy to see from above that there are logical stopping points for the Lakers after trading Russ and then LeBron.

The Lakers will try to trade Westbrook and explore what they might be able to get for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But there are scenarios where the dominos line up and the Lakers trade all three of their superstars.

Less than a year and a half after winning their 17th NBA championship, the Lakers are finally entering what amounts to the end-game of the LeBron James era as the King only has one year remaining on his contract.

As their championship hopes fade to reality, the Lakers appear to be destined at best to be a play-in team this season, making it two straight years of poor roster construction and extensive injuries to their superstars. But the challenges facing the Lakers this offseason are going to determine whether the franchise can regain its footing as a legitimate championship contender or whether they will be forced into some form of a rebuild.

Heading into the final third of this disappointing season, here are the five major franchise-defining questions the Los Angeles Lakers must answer as the team enters into the end-game of the LeBron James era.

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1. Can LeBron James Still Carry the Los Angeles Lakers to Title?

When you look at the stats for the Lakers this season, what jumps out other than the disappointing 27–33 record is LeBron James’ negative net rating for the season. The Lakers are actually losing the minutes LeBron James plays.

LeBron James’ 109.7 offensive rating less his 111.4 defensive rating give him a -1.7 net rating for this season, which is the first time in 18 seasons he’s had a negative net rating since a -2.0 net rating in his 2003–04 rookie season. Winning the LeBron minutes has never been the Lakers problem until this year. Last year, LeBron’s net rating was +9.2 and the year before +8.5. The Last five games, LeBron’s net rating has been a -10.2, 12th on the Lakers.

Other than the heroic fourth quarter in the Utah Jazz win, LeBron James has struggled by his standard over the last five games, posting 28.4/9.4/5.4 but shooting just 48.7/32.4/80.0% and averaging a Westbrookish 5.2 turnovers. Assuming Davis is out for next 12 to 18 games, the Lakers need to be careful not to overwork LeBron and risk him suffering a major injury like happened to Kobe Bryant. Truth is LeBron James needs to rest the knee now.

The Lakers should seriously consider shutting down LeBron for a week or two rather than risking him getting injured. The remote chance the Lakers could win #18 this season is not worth risking the health of LeBron James.

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2. Should the Lakers Continue the Close Alliance with Klutch Sports?

Fortunately, I believe any question about the future of the relationship between the Lakers and Klutch Sports has been already been addressed by LeBron James and Rich Paul meeting with Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss.

The next step would be confirmation from Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss that the Lakers/Klutch alliance was in good standing and they’re looking forward to making moves this summer to rebuild roster to championship level. Getting LeBron to sign an extension will require the Lakers to be willing to trade first round picks, take back players with multiple-year contracts, and pay whatever luxury taxes it takes to compete and win NBA championships.

There’s always will be some friction between LeBron James and whatever team he plays for because they often have different agendas, usually LeBron in total win-now mode and the team not wanting to sacrifice their future. Franky, it’s telling the news about LeBron and Rich meeting with Rob and Jeanie all came from Klutch Sports rather than from the Lakers. LeBron and Rich smartly understanding they can’t push the Lakers like other teams.

The close alliance with Klutch Sport has been a big advantage for the Lakers over other NBA teams. Klutch delivered a message but so did the Lakers. The Lakers/Klutch alliance should continue even after LeBron James retires.

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3. Is Anthony Davis Still Right Superstar to Take Baton from LeBron?

Just 18 months ago, we were talking about AD taking the baton from LeBron as the Lakers’ best player. If a Davis injury ends a second straight Lakers season, the discussion about AD may be whether to trade him.

Now that it looks like Davis will have just 6 to 9 regular season games left after returning from injury to get ready for the playoffs, the Lakers should hope for a replay of the bubble, where AD had only 8 regular season games. While the Lakers/Klutch breakup story was hot, everyone talked about what a haul the Lakers could get trading LeBron and AD. The true value of both these players is elite. They’re generational. You don’t trade them away.

But we can’t ignore the how injuries to LeBron and AD have hurt the team. For LeBron, it’s Father Time and personal load management limiting him. Before this injury, AD was getting back to playing like the bubble AD. Part of the decision of whom the Lakers pursue to replace LeBron will depend on how well Anthony Davis plays the rest of this season and next. Injury worry could impact how the Lakers use AD but he’s still LeBron’s heir apparent.

We’re not yet at the point of figuring out how to position to draft Bronny or how exactly Giannis will replace LeBron on the Lakers but for now Anthony Davis, for at least next year, will be the Lakers’ future alpha star.

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4. Should Lakers Rethink Their Total Commitment to Small Ball?

While the Lakers won their 17th championship playing small with James at the four and Davis the five, they should rethink committing entirely to small ball going forward to save wear-and-tear on LeBron and AD.

While AD may be the best small ball five and LeBron the best small ball four, having an injury prone center and overworked 37-year old power forward playing the two most physical lineup positions might not be so smart. With Davis out for four to five more weeks, the Lakers need to play Dwight Howard at the five more to avoid burning out or injuring LeBron James at the five. That’s a strategy the Lakers should adopting next season.

The problem with the Lakers playing small is the lack of a third 3&D front court player to complement James and Davis, either a small forward who can guard big wings or stretch four or five who can protect the rim. The best solution could be to go big and trade for a stretch center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood, who would allow the Lakers to play five-out small ball on offense but with the size to protect the rim on defense.

Having a modern stretch five center like Turner or Wood would make the Lakers more versatile and dangerous in the playoff and reduce the banging and physicality that could wear down LeBron or AD and lead to their injury.

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5. What Should the Lakers Be Looking for in Next Head Coach?

There’s a consensus in the media that Frank Vogel will not return as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Short of a miraculous postseason finish by the Lakers, this year will probably be Vogel’s last as the Lakers’ head coach.

Firing Vogel raises the question of what should the Lakers be looking for in their next head coach. They need a coach who knows the game at a high level and whom superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis will respect. Ultimately, it would also help if the next head coach had played for or had a connection to the Lakers as that would make it easier to hire him and having played in the league is often an advantage when coaching players.

The Lakers should avoid bringing in another recycled coach like David Fizdale. Ideally, they should look to make a bold hire like the Brooklyn Nets did with Steve Nash and consider Rajon Rondo as the Lakers’ next head coach. Rondo is not only one of the smartest players who ever put on an NBA jersey but also a fiery competitor who knows the Lakers’ front office and has played with LeBron and AD and many of the players on the team.

The Lakers would need to supplement Rondo’s staff with proven former head coaches but by choosing someone with his background and potential, the Lakers could make a quick, smooth transition from Frank Vogel.

The Lakers will be under intense pressure to win games the rest of this season and transform their flawed roster into a deeper, more balanced and talented team this summer to convince LeBron James to sign an extension.

LeBron James will become eligible to sign a 2-year extension with the Lakers on August 4th. The Lakers need to do everything in their power before then to win enough games and improve their roster to get LeBron to re-sign. While the Lakers didn’t have the chips to make a big move at the trade deadline, they’ll be able to offer their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks and Russell Westbrook’s $47 million contract will now be expiring.

There’s also been a rash of articles in the media and blogs about the Lakers wanting to distance themselves from Klutch Sports. While the organizations have many common goals, their motives have not always been fully aligned. Nevertheless, the partnership has resulted in the Lakers getting superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and winning the team’s 17th NBA championship in the bubble, proof of the benefits of the Klutch alliance.

The Los Angeles Lakers/Klutch Sports alliance has been a huge edge for the Lakers over other NBA teams. While it can be an unwieldy partnership at times requiring compromise, it’s an advantage no other NBA team has. That’s not something you throw away or risk losing. Nothing wrong with wanting to renegotiate issues but keeping communications open and working to refine and make the partnership even better is smart.

So what do the Lakers have to do to convince LeBron James to sign a two-year extension to continue wearing the purple and gold? Here are the four key things the Lakers must accomplish to get LeBron to sign an extension:

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1. Mend Fences with Klutch Sports and Agree on Offseason Plan

Nobody knows who or how the Lakers front office makes decisions. Most observers see the team run by a cadre of four individuals: team governor Jeanie Buss, VPBO Rob Pelinka, and advisors Kurt and Linda Rambis.

What’s missing are the dominant voices the Lakers had when Jerry Buss was managing owner and Jerry West GM. Instead, Lakers now make decisions via mutual collaboration and consensus rather than decisive executive edict. One of the reasons the collaborative approach has worked for the Lakers has been their close alliance with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, the agency that coincidentally represents both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

From LeBron’s free agency signing to Anthony Davis forced trade, there’s a valid argument Rich Paul and, by extension LeBron James, have been the true general managers behind the L.A. Lakers’ 17th NBA championship. While there are situations where what’s best for the team and a player may not align, there’s no question signing LeBron James as a free agent and then forcing a trade for Anthony Davis were gifts to the Lakers by Klutch Sports.

Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul need to sit down together and get back on the same page because the LeBron James and Anthony Davis pairing is still the genius move that raised the bar and ceiling for both the Lakers and Klutch. They need to share intelligence and work together to figure out how best to resolve the Russell Westbrook situation, keep the players who have proven they belong, and how to upgrade the starting lineup and overall rotations.

The Lakers/Klutch Sports alliance has been a major success for both the NBA team and the player agency. The Lakers need to do what’s necessary to mend the fences and keep Klutch Sports as an exclusive weapon.

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2. Finish Regular Season Strong and Show Up Big in Playoffs

The Lakers have 24 games remaining in the regular season. They are currently 9th in the West with a 27–31 record. To compete for 6th seed and avoid the play-in, the Lakers need to win 75% of the rest of their games.

That would mean going 18–6 with a good chance neither Anthony Davis or Kendrick Nunn will be available until the last 6 to 12 games. Realistically, the Lakers will be hard pressed to avoid being in the play-in tournament. While participating in the play-in tourney would create a gauntlet the Lakers would have to survive to win the championship, the silver lining is they always have a chance with a healthy and motivated James and Davis.

The Lakers have finally elevated their play over the last few games, almost defeating the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco and coming from behind after losing Anthony Davis to injury to smack down the Utah Jazz. Hopefully, they’ll come back refreshed after the All-Star break ready to make a stretch run despite missing their superstar center. While they probably can’t go 18–6 over the last 24, the goal should be at least 15–9.

As for the playoffs, here’s where it gets interesting, if the Laker finish 7th or 8th, they can win the #7 or #8 seed. If the finish 9th or 10th, they can only win the #8 seed. Ideally, the Lakers want the #7 seed to face the Warriors. Because of matchups, the last team the Warriors want to play in the first round of the playoffs is the Lakers with healthy superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Lakers could upset Warriors and win first round battle.

Who knows, maybe the Lakers take down the Grizzlies in round two and the Suns to get to the Finals and we have a Hollywood ending to the story. Showing up in the playoffs, however, could be key to keeping LeBron.

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3. Bring Back Role Players Monk, Anthony, Reaves, Johnson, and Nunn

One of the underappreciated aspects of this season has been the emergence of five talented role players who should be part of the Lakers’ roster next season, hopefully providing some long needed continuity and consistency.

This season, the Lakers brought back just three players from the previous season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker. The expected lack of continuity was exacerbated by injuries and poor lineups. Even if they trade Horton-Tucker, who’s not a great fit next, and Russ, the Lakers still have five quality role players in Malik Monk, Carmelo Anthony, Austin Reaves, Stanley .Johnson, and Kendrick Nunn.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis plus the five proven role players listed above would give the Lakers’ roster for next season seven returning players, which is almost half of the fifteen active players on their roster. The Lakers need to use Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and THT’s $10 million contract and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to trade for three quality starters to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Of the five role players, Malik Monk is the one the Lakers are most at risk of losing because the most they can offer him is the taxpayer $6.2 million MLE, while there could be teams willing to offer him the full $10 million MLE. Reaves is under contract, Nunn has a player option, Johnson a team option, and Anthony likely to want to run it back. So with luck, the Lakers might be able to keep the best of this year’s team for better continuity next season.

Bringing back players whom LeBron likes and respects is just as important as bringing in new players who solve needs that cost us wins. Monk, Anthony, Reaves, Johnson, and Nunn would give the Lakers a great bench.

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4. Trade for Third Superstar or Three Elite Two-Way Starters

The most important thing the Lakers can do to get LeBron to sign an extension this summer is trade Westbrook, THT, and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks for a third superstar or three quality starters.

How successful the Lakers are in trading Russ and his $47 million expiring contract, Horton-Tucker, and picks for that elusive third superstar —like Lillard or Beal — could determine whether LeBron stays or forces a trade. While it’s a long shot that the Lakers could turn Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and two first round picks into a third superstar or three elite starters, there are fortunately pathways Pelinka can take to accomplish both goals.

Landing a legitimate third superstar to complement James and Davis would likely require a loyal superstar like Lillard or Beal requesting the Blazers or the Wizards to trade him to the Lakers, which is not very likely to happen. But trading for three potential starters who would be major upgrades over the current starters is something Rob could accomplish using Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and the Lakers’ two first round draft picks.

The key is the Lakers’ willingness to trade Russ’ expiring contract for two or three players with multiple-year deals. The Pacers, for example, might take Russ’ expiring contract to dump Brogdon’s and Hield‘s long-term contracts. While they would be getting Russ’ $47 million expiring contract, they would also be avoiding the over $100 million total salary owed to the other two. The real value of expiring contracts is helping other teams clear cap space.

Turning Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks into three quality 3&D starters would be the kind of offseason Rob Pelinka needs to have to convince LeBron James to sign an extension.

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What this entire situation has come down to is a battle for positioning on what the end of the LeBron as a Laker era is going to look like. Will it end with the Lakers paying max salaries to a diminished superstar like Kobe? The win-now Lakers just don’t want the LeBron era to end like it did the two times he left Cleveland , where the team was left with zero cap space and too many overpaid veteran role players on long-term contracts.

In the end, its LeBron versus Jeanie in that Klutch want the Lakers to go all-in to win another championship, which today means trading draft picks, taking back long-term contracts, and be willing to pay mega luxury taxes. These are points Lakers’ media and fans have been screaming about for years. The rules of how you win in the NBA have changed and the Lakers need to recommit to doing whatever is needed to win championships.

Lakers need to mend fences with Klutch, finish season strong and have good run in the playoffs, bring back their five elite role players, and trade Russ’ expiring contract and picks for a third superstar or three starters.

That’s how the Los Angeles Lakers get LeBron James to sign an extension.