Lakers Preview: Dilemma! On one side is the East Peak, on the other is LeBron James retiring

The Lakers recorded 50 wins and 32 losses last season, ranking third in the Western Conference. They lost to the Timberwolves 1-4 in the first round of the playoffs.

Lakers goals for this season

Lakers general manager Pelinka said: "If there is a smart plan to improve the prospects of winning the championship, we will definitely implement it. Having two super giants, Doncic and James, means major opportunities. We will do our best to win the 18th championship trophy for the Lakers."

ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin said Luka Doncic has always said the same thing about the Lakers - he wants to win a championship.

When talking about his expectations for the team in the new season, Vincent said: "I think we have all the conditions to hit the championship, and I think our team is fully capable of doing it."

Doncic: "I think the overall strength of the Western Conference is very strong, and there are too many teams that can surprise you. They all have excellent scouts. . But our only goal is the championship."

Lakers lineup-Dong Jenry

Center: DeAndre Ayton, Jaxon Hayes, Christian Koloko

Power forward: LeBron James, Jared Vanderbilt, Maxi Kleber

Small forwards: Rui Hachimura, Jack Laravia, Dalton Knect, Adu Tierro

Shooting guards: Austin Reeves, Marcus Smart, Bronny James

Point guards: Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent

Starting

Ayton, Reeves, Don Cic, James, Vanderbilt

ESPN Top 100 Players - Two top ten players

Doncic third

James eighth

Reeves 60th

Offseason operations

(1) Renew Redick's contract.

Redick's contract extension is for two years. Currently, Redick has five years left on his contract, which lasts until the 2029-30 season and is worth a total of US$45 million.

This means that Redick is not only the head coach of the Lakers now, but his long-term core plan is still that his coaching with the Lakers will continue after LeBron James retires.

(2) Signed with Smart for US$11 million in 2 years.

Doncic recruited former Celtics player Smart, who was bought out by the Wizards.

When talking about his role and tasks in the team, Smart said this: "Defense is what I am here for, that's why Luka Doncic called me, and this is what the head coach wants."

Redick's positioning of Smart is to strengthen the defensive end of holding the ball and applying outside pressure.

(3) Laravia joined the Lakers with a two-year contract worth a total of US$12 million.

As a small forward, at the beginning of the season, Laravia will get considerable playing time during James' absence. If he plays well, he will solidify his rotation position.

(4) Doncic’s three-year contract extension for US$165 million.

Doncic - the cornerstone of the Lakers' team building in the next ten years

Doncic is 26 years old and has played in the NBA for 7 seasons. The reason why the Lakers made the deal with Doncic last year was to select the team's future cornerstone.

James' last season?

In the 2025-26 season, LeBron James will become the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons.

In fact, all parties in the league are already exaggerating for James' final season. Let's see what they say.

Lakers general manager Pelinka: "We are happy to see LeBron retire as a Laker player. This is a positive ending."

Anthony: "Now I am about to enter the Hall of Fame, and as for James, I really hope he retires as soon as possible and joins us. That's enough, it's time to rest."

The season has not yet started, and James has been frequently asked about retirement by reporters. Let's see what James said.

On September 19, James said on the show: "I will definitely not play for another 23 years, nor will I play for another 10 years. Every time I start to try something new, it does not mean that I am retiring. Retirement is coming, but that day is not yet there."

On September 30, James talked about the topic of retirement at the media day. He said: "I don't know when the end will come, but I know it will be faster than imagined. I just I'm excited for this journey and looking forward to everything this year will bring me. "For me, the key is whether I am still excited about this process? I think once I stop being so passionate about this process, I will determine that (retirement) may be what I want."

There is more than 50% chance that this season will be James' last season.

James' contract only has the last season left this season, and the James team has not negotiated a contract extension with the Lakers. It has been a record-breaking 23 seasons. If James stays with the Lakers, how much the Lakers will offer is a question. Considering James' age and status, giving a maximum salary will affect the Lakers' future championship. Not giving a maximum salary shows that the Lakers do not value James. As for James signing with another team, the possibility is even smaller. It's a good idea to retire with the Cavaliers, but it's unrealistic. In fact, right now, my mind is all about competing for the championship, and I have no time to think about organizing a retirement tour for James.

We must be mentally prepared, the new season will be James’ last season.

Doncic has a chance to be MVP? ——The key is the record

Except for his rookie season and last season, Doncic has been among the top ten MVP players for five consecutive seasons.

Doncic's statistics are fine. He has averaged more than 27.7 points per game for seven consecutive seasons, with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists all year round. Such data has reached the standards of MVP.

Whether Doncic can win the MVP depends on his record. If the Lakers' record is in the top three, Doncic will be a strong contender for MVP. If the Lakers' record is first in the Western Conference, Doncic has a great chance of winning the MVP.

Reeves - Contract Year

This season, Reeves has two years left on his four-year, $53.83 million contract. In the 2025-26 season, Reeves' annual salary is $13.9 million. In the 24-25 season, Reeves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Reeves' contract may be the most valuable contract in the league.

This summer, Reeves rejected the Lakers' offer of a four-year, $89.2 million early contract extension.

As Reeves' cheap contract is about to expire, Reeves is expected to reject the player option next summer and become a completely free agent.

Reeves is about to receive a huge salary increase. Multiple league sources said that Reeves' next contract will have an annual salary of more than $35 million. Sources from two of the teams (neither the Lakers) speculated that Reeves' annual salary may reach more than $40 million.

Rumors will be rampant before the trade deadline. If Reeves enters the free market, the bidding war will become more intense.

Given that Los Angeles is likely to lose Reeves for nothing (he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year), the Lakers front office would be remiss if they didn't consider trading him at some point this season, especially if it becomes clear that Reeves and Doncic's athleticism issues will be too much to overcome in their pursuit of a championship. (Both are not defensive)

This summer, the Lakers quickly terminated any negotiations about Reeves. They just want to exchange Reeves for the star, otherwise they will not consider trading him. If the Lakers have a poor record and choose to rebuild and find new helpers for Doncic, it is also possible to trade Reeves in the middle of the season.

Lakers disadvantages

(1) The depth of the center rotation may become the Lakers' biggest weakness.

The current center players of the Lakers (including players who can guest center) include Jaxon Hayes, Maxi Kleber, Jared Vanderbilt, and Christian Koloko. Let's look at the centers of other championship teams.

The Lakers can only place their hope on Ayton. And without a reliable fifth position, it's hard to imagine this lineup being able to achieve the deep playoff breakthrough the Lakers are looking for.

(2) Defense is a shortcoming.

The 42-year-old James is already powerless on defense and cannot be expected to catch up on defense and offense. Doncic has not been known for his defense throughout his career. Former Lakers head coach Byron Scott said this: "When you only defend occasionally, your teammates will not trust you. I saw him give up defense too many times after being passed last year." Reeves' defense is not at an elite level, and Ayton's defense is a mystery and his performance is very unstable. In the preseason, head coach Redick once implicitly criticized Ayton's defense. He said this: "From a hard-working perspective, DeAndre had some very good performances...but in pick-and-roll defense, he stayed in the paint area - that is not our defense."

In the starting lineup, four players' defense is a weak link. How much better can the Lakers' overall defense be?

Defense is a problem that the Lakers need to solve in the new season.

(3) Vanderbilt's health problem

Vanderbilt is key to the Lakers lineup. He can defend and play the third and fourth positions. However, Vanderbilt's health has always been a problem. In the past three seasons, Vanderbilt has not played more than 40 games, namely 26, 29, and 36 games.

Although the Lakers team reporter said: "Vanderbilt looks healthier than in the past few years." But as the season progresses, Vanderbilt's health is critical to the Lakers' combat effectiveness.

With the absence of James, the start of the season is crucial

Lakers star LeBron James will miss at least 3 to 4 weeks due to right sciatica. He will miss the start of the 2025-26 season and is expected to play about 10 games. If the Lakers get off to a bad start without James, this will cast a shadow over the Lakers' playoff journey.

With James absent, the focus is on who can step up and help Doncic and Reeves.

Last season, Luka/Reeves/Finney-Smith were on the court at the same time, and LeBron was not on the court: net efficiency +31.2 (352 possessions). Luka/Reeves on the court at the same time, LeBron/Finney-Smith off the court: net rating -11.3 (151 possessions). Now that Finney-Smith has left the team, who can step forward? Redick said bluntly: "We need to find the best candidate to play next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves."

Record prediction

46-48 win.

Conclusion

Although the Lakers have set their season goal as a championship, considering the lineup configuration, the Lakers are not yet a championship team.

The Lakers have many problems to solve in the new season, mainly James' retirement issues and Reeves' contract issues. Whether the current lineup is a championship team. If not, the Lakers management will change their thinking and re-build the team around Doncic.

The Lakers have a box office of tens of billions for the new season, but they are still far away from the championship.

Compared with the current players, it is obvious that the Lakers management still has a lot of work to do. The boss has changed, and perhaps the real Doncic era for the Lakers is not far away.