The Los Angeles Lakers of 2024–25 have a striking resemblance to those of the previous season. This isn’t ideal for a club that won only one playoff game and finished as the seventh seed in the West.
The Lakers already have a full 15-man roster that is expected to play past the second luxury tax season without having signed a single free agent or made any trades thus far.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, of their two new recruits, only youngster Dalton Knecht might have any kind of impact, since Bronny James is anticipated to play a major role with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.
For this group, “running it back” is not an option for a variety of reasons.
LeBron James versus a Perfect Record
LeBron James is nearly impossible to expect to be as healthy and productive as he was the previous season.
After averaging just 55.6 in his first five years in Los Angeles, the 39-year-old participated in 71 games. James shot 41.0 percent from three-point range, which was a career high and significantly higher than his 34.5 percent lifetime average. The Lakers just cannot anticipate this level of performance and health from their best player at this point in his career as he approaches his 40th birthday on December 30.
Trading Futures for Present
After signing James following a 35-win season in 2017–18, no team should have greater confidence in their ability to draw big names than the Lakers.
Because the Lakers have qualified for the playoffs in 66 of their 77 seasons, it is now much easier to accept the trade of future first-round picks. A certain something still exists between the Lakers and the Clippers that will never go away, and stars will always be drawn to the Los Angeles region.
The Lakers’ chances of winning a title next season are entirely dependent on a trade or sequence of transactions.
2029 and 2031 first-round selections are exchangeable with Los Angeles. In 2026, 2028, and 2030, they can decide to switch first rounders. Considering that D’Angelo Russell’s contract is about to expire and that the team includes some elite role players, there should be enough draft capital to position them for another All-Star selection.