Lakers Offseason Ranked Among Worst in NBA By Insider

The Los Angeles Lakers have been called out for their curious, conservative offseason moves by a longtime NBA insider.

David Aldridge of The Athletic has ranked the Lakers' offseason as the league's 24th-worst, ahead of only the miserable runs of the Phoenix Suns (No. 25), New Orleans Pelicans (No. 26), Toronto Raptors (No. 27), Indiana Pacers (No. 28) and Boston Celtics (No. 29).

In fairness to Boston and Indiana, both those clubs' front offices are clearly looking to save money during "gap year" seasons as All-NBA stars Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton recuperate from Achilles tendon tears incurred in the playoffs.

Aldridge has assessed the Golden State Warriors with an "incomplete" grade, as the team continues to haggle out terms with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. As Aldridge notes, Golden State has been linked to free agent 3-and-D big man Al Horford, plus free agent 2023-24 Warriors guards De'Anthony Melton (who was traded away after an injury) and Gary Payton II.

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Obviously, Los Angeles' change this offseason so far happened behind the scenes, as the Buss family sold its controlling stake in the franchise to Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, at a reported team valuation of a record $10 billion.

"The Buss Family, God love ’em, ran the Lakers like a business, not a plaything/tax write-off. Walter’s largesse won’t be as industry-jarring in the NBA as it is in Major League Baseball, but if Walter’s spending on the Dodgers is any guide, the Lakers will get closer to the industry standard off the court under the new ownership," Aldridge predicts.

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Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka signed free agent center Deandre Ayton to a reasonable two-year, $16.2 million deal after alleged chemistry issues compelled the Portland Trail Blazers to buy him out of the last year of his Portland contract.

Pelinka also brought in former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart on a two-season, $10.5 million contract after the Washington Wizards bought him out of his contract. Free agent power forward Jake LaRavia was signed to replace combo forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who joined the Houston Rockets on a four-year deal. Did the Lakers balk at having money on their books past 2027? It sure feels that way.

Los Angeles also traded up to acquire former Arkansas Razorbacks wing Adou Theiro with the No. 36 pick in June's 2025 NBA Draft.

Questions Around Rob Pelinka's Various Moves

"We’ll see if Ayton can still be a major difference maker after flaming out in Phoenix and Portland. Similarly, Smart isn’t what he was in Boston, but many advanced stats show he’s still one of the better defensive guards in the league – and he’s better defensively than anyone else L.A. can roll out," Aldridge writes. "Losing DFS, though, is a blow."

Unanswered questions linger about just how effective three ball-dominant, defense-averse players like LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can be on the floor together, after the Lakers were thoroughly rolled by the lower-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs this past spring.

L.A. did address some of its center problem, inking Ayton to replace re-signed former starter Jaxson Hayes. But losing Finney-Smith will hurt its perimeter defense, unless Jarred Vanderbilt can step up or Marcus Smart can surprise.

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