💜💛 It's Official.The Lakers have signed Marcus Smart — 3x NBA All-Defensive First Team and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/uesTAQVn5V— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) July 22, 2025

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.

Insider Sparks Austin Reaves Trade Speculation Amid Lakers Offseason Moves https://t.co/zNybdezYiv— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 22, 2025

Aloha,

I think this is the Lakers roster for a while. Because salaries are prorated through the year the Lakers could sign a buyout player to a vet minimum contract in January.

As for a consolation trade I’m afraid that time has passed. Most teams rosters are set and can’t take on multiple players for one. I have been reading that Dalton is no longer viewed has having 1st round valuation. He seems to have played himself into 2nd rounder territory. It just seems like he is in his head. Unfortunately I don’t know if he will get the minutes to play himself out of his funk.

When you consider that we have little draft capital and an unwillingness to take on contracts beyond this year, you are looking at the roster as is.

I do think this a very good team that’s deeper and better than last year. But to truly contend we will need some internal growth. Which isn’t that far fetched. But for now, what you see is what you get.

IF NO TRADE, START VANDO AT SMALL FORWARD!If the Lakers do NOT trade for a starting wing this summer and DO start 4 offense-first players in Doncic, James, Reaves, and Ayton, they need to start Vanderbilt at small forward to add elite point-of-attack perimeter defense. If… https://t.co/vj3eMyYqvt pic.twitter.com/4Dk4yBt17s— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 22, 2025

RUMOR: The Lakers are looking to reunite Robert Williams and Marcus Smart 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/laJo8ATLaF— RIPCITYY🌹 (@shaesharpeshow) July 21, 2025

Hinestly, I’m still sitting at a solid B for the offseason. Being that we’re the biggest market it makes sense buyout candidates would want to come here. Still, feels like, for one reason or another, we missed out on the best fits for our team.

I like Ayton, especially at this price point which feels like a pretty fair value for what he brings. Brook Lopez was the better fit, on both ends, and we coukdn’t make it happen. That one I put on LeBron as much as Rob but I do believe a stronger GM could’ve swung him here. We don’t have that GM.

I like Smart, again at a value that feels fair, but I think CP3 is a better veteran fit and I’m honestly not sure we didn’t let the better player in Goodwin walk. Time will tell on that one.

But if you’re thinking either player is much more than a one-year rental I really think you’re fooling yourself. Which means the same issues that have plagued the Pelinka front office from the get-go remian: no over-arching vision of what the team should be.

This feels a lot like the AARP Lakers of 4 seasons ago, after we won the title and brought in 237 over 30 vets and hoped they had one more shot in ’em. They didn’t snd we missed the playoffs entirely.

Jake LaRavia could be the best part of the summer. That’s not a home run, that’s a bloop single that somehow got stretched into a double on a throwing error.

I have high hopes for Vando after a summer and hopefully full camp. When he’s right physically we know what he can do on D and if he can make 35% of his corner threes there’s a consistent role for him.

At any rate, it’s an average summer for the Lakers thus far snd I still see us about where we were last season: sonewhere between 3 and 8. Whee.

The Lakers have signed Christian Koloko and Chris Manon to two-way contracts, per @ShamsCharania.The third two-way is occupied by Trey Jemison. pic.twitter.com/NN0p8FZasM— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 21, 2025

BREAKING: The Lakers have waived Trey Jemison, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/q45xflvpMY— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 21, 2025

A lot has changed in the Western Conference in one week with CP3, Beal, Lillard, and Smart signing new deals. All the latest intel from Summer League, including notes on the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Celtics, Suns, and much more on @ClutchPoints: https://t.co/W49u9TBgrY— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) July 21, 2025

Stein(@WireHoops)“I’m likewise told that Smart (like Doncic) has been working hard on his body this summer,” Stein wrote. “Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season, but the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the… pic.twitter.com/EtWgYW15pg— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) July 21, 2025

Lakers projected depth chart:PG: Reaves | Gabe | BronnySG: Smart | KnechtSF: Luka | LaRavia | AdouPF: LeBron | Rui | VanderbiltC: Ayton | Hayes | KleberTo be deep, the Lakers need 1 better bench guard and center imo. If Smart gets injured, our guard depth is in trouble. pic.twitter.com/DJQJhQKgoI— Red Mamba (@Purpl3andGold) July 21, 2025

The Los Angeles Lakers will be waiving Jordan Goodwin in addition to Shake Milton, league sources confirmed to @ClutchPoints.By waiving Milton and Goodwin, the Lakers now have enough room to sign Marcus Smart once he clears waivers on Tuesday.ESPN was first to report Goodwin.— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) July 21, 2025