Just before Lakers media day, Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick took part in a separate press conference and spent time answering questions from reporters about where the team is headed this season.
One of the biggest topics was the franchise’s recent shift in team-building. For years, the Lakers leaned on short-term veteran deals, but this summer brought a different approach, with multiple long-term contracts finally entering the picture.
Redick said the constant push to chase championships has kept the Lakers from having much flexibility in the cap.
Pelinka then drew a clear comparison to other Western teams, naming the Thunder and Spurs.
“I don’t have much to add other than, you know, if you look at the teams that we’re wanting to go shoulder-to-shoulder with, the Thunder and the Spurs maybe in the West. Those teams went through dry spells where they lost and had to lose many seasons to get high picks, and we just don’t have the luxury of that here,” Rob Pelinka explained.
He added, “Again, the expectations are every year: win, get in the playoffs, make a run. And so, we feel like we’ve been able to do that. As I started, since I’ve been in a leadership position here, we’ve been a playoff team, and we have to continue to be that,” he added.
Pelinka also said, “This was just an opportunity this summer with the space to get guys on multi-year deals. JJ and I feel really confident that there is continuity in this group, especially with our sort of big three of Austin, Luka, and Walker, and how those guys fit together, and then getting the role players around them.”
The Lakers’ lack of flexibility, in this telling, comes from years of operating under championship pressure. While teams like the Thunder and Spurs could absorb down seasons and collect premium draft capital, the Lakers were expected to stay in the mix every year, which pushed them toward win-now decisions instead of a slower build.
The bigger picture here is the shift from one franchise face to another. Pelinka came into the job in 2017 with room to maneuver, and that helped set up the summer of 2018, when the Lakers signed LeBron James. Not long after that, they made the big swing for Anthony Davis and filled out the roster with veterans built to chase a title.
But the plan changed once the team started thinking beyond the LeBron era. Luka Doncic, who joined the Lakers at 25, gave the organization a different kind of timeline. With a younger centerpiece in place, the Lakers can now think more about building a group that can stay together and compete over several seasons rather than constantly scrambling for the next immediate fix.
The move also left the Lakers with more cap room, which allowed them to sign Walker Kessler. Even so, their draft-pick cupboard remains thin. After the Kessler deal, the team has only one unprotected first-round pick left, 2032.
That means the Lakers still don’t have much room to operate if they want to make another major move soon. The question now is whether they stay patient with this group or feel the pressure to chase another quick fix before the core has time to settle in.
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What makes the move more interesting is how quickly the two-way picture has opened up around them. Los Angeles recently waived two other players on Exhibit 10 deals to create space, and that leaves Kyle and Swider positioned to compete for one of the spots that can still change a fringe players outlook in a hurry. For a team still sorting through the edges of its roster, those kinds of camp battles can matter just as much as the names already locked in. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Kessler Trade Came After Utah Faced A Serious Threat
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Kessler ended up on a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers after reportedly passing on a five-year, $140 million offer from Utah, a choice that adds another layer to how the deal unfolded. Rob Pelinka also said Kessler is fully healthy after shoulder surgery, which only heightens the interest in what Los Angeles believes it added, even as the full story behind Utahs urgency continues to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Reaves Could Not Hide What LeBron's Exit Meant To Him
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Now Reaves is staring at a bigger role in Los Angeles heading into next season, with the Lakers needing more from him on and off the ball. Meanwhile, James heads to Philadelphia on a two-year deal, where the 76ers suddenly look every bit like a superteam alongside Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown, leaving the Lakers to figure out what life looks like without one of the leagues defining figures. [Read more 🡒]