Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4), guard Austin Reaves (15) and guard Gabe Vincent (7) on the bench in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Exclusive: NBA Legend Reacts to Los Angeles Lakers' Offseason Moves

Originally posted on Memphis Grizzlies on SI
By Grant Mona | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 7:35 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers have had quite the offseason in terms of drama and speculation, but what else is new? With LeBron James opting into his $52.6 million deal and rumors about his future with the team now that Luka Doncic is the face of the franchise, the Lakers have had a rollercoaster of a few months.

Los Angeles has been longing for a true center since Anthony Davis was traded for Doncic, with that position being a key factor in their first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Lakers used the same five players for the ENTIRE second half vs. Minnesota.

They are the first team to use the same five for an entire half in a playoff game since 1997-98 pic.twitter.com/eNbtp6MkQc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2025

After missing out on some of the top center targets in the free agent market, such as Clint Capela, Brook Lopez, and Al Horford, Deandre Ayton was bought out from his contract with the Portland Trailblazers.

The Lakers immediately pounced on Ayton and signed him to a two-year, $16.6 million deal, as well as retaining Jaxson Hayes on a veteran minimum. Still, the only signing outside of Ayton was Jake LaRavia, who is being touted as a replacement for Dorian Finney-Smith, who left in free agency to join the Houston Rockets.

Lakers Depth Chart pic.twitter.com/AttDmlhrHg
— LakersLand (@LakersLand17) July 2, 2025

In an exclusive interview with Grizzlies On SI at the ESPYS red carpet, NBA legend and former Vancouver Grizzlies guard Byron Scott revealed his thoughts about the Lakers' offseason moves so far.

"They still got some work to do. Obviously I bleed purple and gold, so I want the best for this organization and the franchise. Happy for Jeanie and the Buss family making the biggest deal in sports history selling the Lakers for $10 billion," Scott said.

"But LeBron and Luka, they still need some more help - Austin's [Reaves] been great, every year he gets better. We still need a little bit more length, size, athleticism, and need some more scoring off that bench," he continued.

Byron Scott- Grizzly from 1996-1996

Career Stats

1073 Games played

14.1 PPG

2.8 RPG

2.5 APG

48.2% field goal percentage. pic.twitter.com/yLvYGtaJoM
— 〽 (@VinceGGCentral) April 25, 2024

Scott, who played for the Grizzlies in the 1995-96 season in Vancouver, played in 80 games that year, averaging 10.2 points and 2.4 rebounds while playing a sixth-man role off the bench.

This article first appeared on Memphis Grizzlies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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