Final: Clippers 103, Lakers 88LA drops to 19-8. They remain No. 4 in the West. They’re 4-4 over their last 8 games. Biggest concern after this game is Luka’s leg contusion and his potential absence. LeBron had a season-high 36 points on 15-28 FGs.Up next: at PHX on Tuesday.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) December 21, 2025

Under Jeanie Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers were never one of the teams that embraced advanced analytics and data-driven decision making. That’s all about to change as Mark Walter takes over as new owner of the Lakers.

Mark Walter’s purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers and evolution of the franchise from bankruptcy to three world championships in the last six World Series was powered by analytics and data-driven decision making. Under new president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and new analytics guru Farhan Zaidi, the Dodgers organization was completely rebuilt with analytics as the driving engine behind all major decisions.

While the Lakers are in a far better situation than the Dodgers were when Walter bought them, there are key differences in how the leagues manage players’ salaries and free agency and teams’ cap space and luxury taxes.
Walter is expected to replicate what he did with the Dodgers and pour resources into areas with no limits by the NBA. Look for the Lakers to dramatically expand their front office, scouting, and training staffs.

But the single major difference fans are going to see is in the consistency and quality of candidates the Lakers will be pursuing in trades, draft, and free agency. Every decision the Lakers make will be analytics driven.
We may also see increased attention to signing free agents in the short term as Lakers take advantage of LeBron James’ expiring $50 million contract to build depth and save draft capital by prioritizing free agency.

The Lakers have now won 19 of their 26 games. Let’s look at what analytics says the Lakers need and then discuss possible moves they could make to specifically meet the needs the Lakers require to become champions.

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What Analytics Says Lakers Need!

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A quick review of the Lakers advanced and traditional statistics is the first place to see what analytics is telling the Lakers they need both offensively and defensively to become legitimate contenders to win the championship.

Despite ranking 8th in offensive rating, 20th in defensive rating, and just 14th in net rating, the 19–7 Lakers have the 3rd best record in the West and 4th best in the league only because they’ve won 10 out of 10 clutch games.
The media, analytics, and our own eyes tell us the Lakers have defensive issues and their current performance can’t be sustained unless the team makes an unexpected blockbuster move before the trade deadline.

Digging into the Lakers’ traditional stats, defensive red flags confirmed their #20 defensive rating was a realistic assessment of their defense as they ranked #21 in defensive rebounding, #20 in steals, and #25 in blocks. Offensive red flags that also demanded attention include finishing #30 in field goal attempts, #23 in threes made, #24 in threes attempted, #24 in assists created, #21 in turnovers, and #26 in offensive rebounds.

Positionally, the Lakers need a starting small forward who can defend bigger wing scorers and a shot blocking defensive center who could backup and/or play alongside starting center Deandre Ayton in a two-bigs lineup. Reports say Lakers want to keep their only tradable first round draft pick so they will be able to offer three first round picks on draft day next summer, which means they will only have a second round pick to trade at deadline.

Advanced analytics says the Lakers need to prioritize finding young, inexpensive, two-way 3&D candidates who have positional size, can defend their position, share the basketball, and impact the team analytically.

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How Lakers Will Fill Those Needs

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While things could change as the deadline approaches, the Lakers have essentially announced for now they’re saving their only tradable first round pick to offer three first round picks for Giannis on draft day next summer.

When you consider how Mark Walter’s team built the Dodgers, it’s silly to think the Lakers would pass on a chance to go all-in to trade for Giannis. The Lakers just sent a personal direct message to Giannis and the Bucks.
LA will need $58 million in matching salaries to trade for Giannis, which means extending players like Reaves and trading expiring players like Vincent, Kleber, and maybe even Hachimura for players with 2-year deals.

At the trade deadline, the Lakers will be looking to trade expiring contracts and their 2032 2nd round pick for young 3&D prospects who will or can be under contract and tradable next summer when Lakers have three picks.
Targets whom the Lakers might acquire for matching salaries and their 2032 second round pick could include potential 3&D players like Keon Ellis or Quentin Grimes or centers like Robert Williams III or Daniel Gafford.

Step 1 of the Lakers’ blockbuster summer will then use three first round picks for a star player to complement Luka like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Herbert Jones, Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson, Jr., or Bam Adebayo.
Step 2 will utilize their $85 million in open cap space to replace the depth lost in Round 1 trade by signing their free agents and adding from a pool of elite free agents like Wiggins, Robinson, Olynyk, Alvarado, and Mathurin.

The Lakers are positioned to pull off a blockbuster summer with $85 million to sign their own and other teams’ free agents and three first round picks and matching salary to trade for a superstar or pair of two-way studs.