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Lakers Announce Massive Roster News Ahead of Season Finale

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 8:55 PM ET

The Lakers will close out the regular season on Sunday against the Trail Blazers, and if you suspect they do not much care about the outcome of this one, you would be right. By beating Houston on Friday, the Lakers have already secured a 50-win season and the No. 3 seeding that comes with it, and can thus make some massive changes for the finale.

In what has been a wild season that began with JJ Redick in his first year as coach and with Anthony Davis the team's No. 2 star behind LeBron James, the team went through some wild fluctuations. Davis is in Dallas now, the centerpiece of a trade that brought new franchise face Luka Doncic to town.

When the Lakers clinched the No. 3 spot on Friday, the team let loose in the locker room with a massive celebration. They're still awaiting news of their opponent in the first round, which will be decided on Sunday.

Said Redick of the Lakers' stress-relief showing on Friday: "I think it was just for our group, different versions of this team for the guys that have been here all along, they went through every single peak and valley. I think even this third iteration of this team has gone through a bunch of peaks and valleys.

“I’m just incredibly proud of our team. It’s an accomplishment to win 50 games in the regular season in any year. I think particularly this year, in this Western Conference, it is, and it’s a credit to our players. Each one at different points in time has contributed to winning. They’ve all participated in a winning culture. Our coaching staff, our performance staff, everybody down the line, it’s a great group to be a part of. We want to go win one more game, and we’ll figure out Sunday who we play in the first round.”

Redick will have to figure out on Sunday, too, whom he will play in the 82nd game. That's because the team released its injury report on Saturday evening and, well, the pickings are slim.

Listed as out are Doncic and James, plus star guard Austin Reaves, forward Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura. Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are all questionable. That means the entire starting five is either out or questionable to appear against Portland.

Bring on the playoffs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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