The Los Angeles Lakers' season came to a disappointing end when they were upset in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. That loss will bring about significant changes to the Lakers' roster this summer. They will need to fix their biggest weakness to emerge as contenders next season.
That is definitely possible, but it appears that the Lakers' front office will have to answer to LeBron James. Prior to the shocking Luka Dončić trade, both LeBron and Anthony Davis asked the Lakers front office to trade for a center.
That didn't happen, and instead Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. That clearly didn't sit well with LeBron.
To the Lakers front office's credit, they did trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, only for the trade to be rescinded after the deadline.
That likely doomed their season with them just having Jaxson Hayes as the only viable big man on their roster. While they can resolve that issue this summer, it cost them this season.
LeBron James sends a clear message to the Lakers following their playoff loss.
Considering LeBron's age, there's no guarantee that he will be back next season. Even if he does return, there's always the chance that he will drop off or that he will only have one more year left in him.
Given LeBron's comments, it appears that he still harbors some resentment for the Lakers' front office. Even so, they did a terrific job landing a superstar that no one even thought was available.
Losing in the first round is definitely a poor way to end the season, but they have the potential to reload this summer and really shore up their roster. Nevertheless, for them to have that strong offseason, they will likely need LeBron to agree to take less.
That would help to ensure that they have enough space under the luxury tax to be able to use the full mid-level exception. Asking him to take a pay cut after he took a parting shot is an awkward situation. Fortunately, it's something that he might ultimately do if they can add a legit starting and backup center.
All told, the Lakers made the right decision to trade for Doncic. However, LeBron does have a point with the Lakers needing to have done a better job of addressing their frontcourt issues during the season. That might have cost them a chance at a deep playoff run. However, they could build a much better roster this summer if they are able to find a starting-caliber center at a reasonable price.