The Los Angeles Lakers will lean heavily on Luka Doncic and Lebron James after their dismal end to the 2024-25 season when they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The most glaring hole in their squad back then was the lack of defensive big man and wing defense.
It got worse for them as Dorian Finney-Smith already moved on to the Houston Rockets.
Lakers have 14 players in their squad and they are not yet done on the wheeling and dealing. General manager Rob Pelinka said they want to surround Lebron and Luka with the best complementary players and so, they have several moves lined up.
“If there are smart ways to pour into our championship aspirations for next year, we will execute on those,” Pelinka said in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
He specifically teased two names they are targeting.
“And we see having those two players on our team next year [as] an important moment, and we’ll continue to try to do all we can to deliver this franchise its 18th championship.”
Los Angeles Lakers’ reported targets
Andrew Wiggins is one of the players Lakers are reportedly aiming to sign before the start of the season but it might be far-fetched according to an executive.
Another is Lauri Markkanen of Utah Jazz. Just like Doncic, the Finnish forward was brilliance in EuroBasket 2025. He is seen as a perfect complement for Doncic now and in the future with his efficiency and being a threat in many areas of the floor.
Big man is one area, however, where Lakers are still lacking. They currently don’t have a prospect in that department.
They were previously targeting Brook Lopez from the Milwaukee Bucks but the Splash Mountain decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers.
Another guy they hoped to fill the void in the frontcourt was Myles Turner. The Bucks swooped in and he is now their starting center.
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