Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ five-game loss to the Timberwolves, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst drew parallels between the Lakers’ current situation and the Dallas Mavericks’ trajectory after the 2022-2023 season. Windhorst suggests that while the Lakers face uncertainty, their issues could be addressed by focusing on acquiring athletic, big rim protectors, similar to the Mavericks’ approach.
Los Angeles Lakers Comparable To Mavericks Situation
“What I would say about the Lakers is where they’re at right now, is it’s comparable, not the same, but it’s comparable to where the Mavericks were two years ago,” Windhorst stated on The Hoop Collective podcast. He detailed the Mavericks’ situation: “Mavericks trade for Kyrie, there is a bit of a roster debit because of what they traded for Kyrie. They tanked down the stretch. They got fined, how much did they get fined for that?” Tim McMahon replied, “I think it was $750,000, it was high six figures.” Windhorst continued, “They get fined for tanking, but they end up with Dereck Lively.”
Windhorst emphasized the significance of the Mavericks acquiring Dereck Lively, who provided the “vertical lob-threat and rim protector” that allowed the Mavericks to thrive with Luka Doncic and reach the NBA Finals the following season. He believes the Lakers could follow a similar path, but notes they have a different set of assets to work with.
Unlike the Mavericks, the Lakers lack draft picks in the immediate future. “The Lakers don’t have their pick this year, it goes to the Atlanta Hawks. So they’re not going to be able to get something in the draft,” Windhorst explained. However, they do possess tradeable assets, including “last year’s rookie Dalton Knecht” and future pick swaps.
“They have the first round pick in 2031 or 2032, which they traded for Mark Williams and than rescinded and pulled back. They have four different swaps, I’d be surprised if they traded all of them, but they have four swaps they can trade. I don’t know what Dalton Knecht’s value is but he had value, they traded him for Mark Williams, but okay Dalton Knecht.”
Ultimately, Windhorst suggests that Rob Pelinka faces a challenging task in reshaping the Lakers’ roster this offseason. He will need to maximize the potential of Luka Doncic in a highly competitive Western Conference.