Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2024-25 season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs, and several important organizational figures were seen meeting together in the aftermath of their exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Superstar Luka Dončić, head coach JJ Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka were all spotted leaving dinner in Los Angeles on Friday night in a video that made the rounds on social media.

While fellow superstar LeBron James will also factor into Los Angeles' plans for the 2025-26 season with his looming player option, the team's long-term goals will primarily revolve around the 26-year-old that they shockingly acquired from the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Lakers will be going to "great lengths to make Dončić aware that they want him to lead the way in their next era."

The five-time All-Star is set to make roughly $46 million during his 2025-26 campaign before holding a $48.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season, but he's eligible to receive a four-year, $229 million extension from Los Angeles on Aug. 2 (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin).

Dončić can also sign a three-year extension worth $165 million that has a player option in 2028.

While he took some time to adjust to his new team following the change of scenery, he still averaged 28.2 points and 8.1 rebounds to go along with 7.5 assists per game on 43.8/37.9/79.1 shooting splits in Los Angeles.

Pelinka and the Lakers will have several important roster decisions to make during the offseason, with the future of Dončić among them.

Luka Dončić's pregame routine includes taking three half-court shots, with some incentives baked into the practice—if he makes one of them, the Los Angeles Lakers' assistants out on the court do pushups, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, but if he misses all three he does the pushups or body squats himself.

McMenamin continued:

"It's a small example of Dončić seeking comfort and routine in a season void of either. But it was a response to the whispers about him coming out of the trade—a commitment to squeezing in extra conditioning after joining the Lakers with a strained left calf that sidelined him for five-and-a-half weeks, sources told ESPN.

"His game-day routine starts at 9 a.m. with bodywork, shots, weightlifting and a cold tub plunge, sources said. Maintaining his pregame routine, fun though it is, was a sign, one source said, of Dončić recognizing the sooner he got back to peak form with his new team, the sooner the Lakers could reach their full potential."

The report follows JJ Redick's comments after the Lakers' five-game series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, when he seemed to cryptically call out Dončić's conditioning, which, of course, was also reportedly one of the issues the Dallas Mavericks had with Dončić before trading him.

"I'll start with the offseason and the work that's required in an offseason to be in championship shape," L.A.'s head coach told reporters Thursday. "And we have a ways to go as a roster. And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape."

The Lakers didn't get worked by the Wolves solely because of Dončić's conditioning, of course. This was a roster initially built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers simply didn't have the time to build it around Dončić's skill set after acquiring him ahead of the trade deadline.

The Lakers, lacking an impact center, got killed in the paint by the Wolves. Expect them to aggressively pursue a rim-running, rim-protecting center this summer, much as they did when they traded for Mark Williams before cancelling the deal over his physical.

Adding more 3-and-D wings would help as well. Players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith are solid pieces around James and Dončić, but the Lakers didn't have much quality depth beyond that group.

It will be an offseason of change in Los Angeles. The Lakers will hope that includes Dončić improving his offseason conditioning program.

In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Lakers' 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that ended their season, one of the big stories coming out of Game 5 was how much Wolves center Rudy Gobert dominated them.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin quoted one Lakers team source as saying "Gobert looked like Shaq" against them.

Gobert set playoff career-highs with 27 points and 24 rebounds. His nine offensive rebounds were his second-most in a playoff game and one more the Lakers had as a team.

The 27 points for Gobert were 13 more than he had in the first four games combined. It also marked his first 20-point playoff game since June 2021.

Shaquille O'Neal had 15 playoff games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds, 12 of which came during his eight seasons with the Lakers.

One of the big concerns for the Lakers going into the postseason was their lack of size and a true starting center. Jaxson Hayes had some nice moments down the stretch in the regular season catching lobs from Luka Dončić, but his track record didn't suggest that he'd make a big impact in the playoffs.

Sure enough, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn't trust Hayes. He played fewer than 10 minutes in each of the first four games against the Timberwolves and didn't make an appearance in Game 5.

The Lakers' lack of size in the paint stood out over the course of the series. It was especially felt in the deciding game when Gobert was able to do whatever he wanted against them.

After the Game 5 loss, LeBron James answered a question about the difficulty of playing without a center by saying, "My guy AD said what he needed, and he was gone the following week" in his postgame press conference.

This was in reference to Anthony Davis saying in January that he felt like the Lakers would "need another big" to reach their full potential. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Dončić not long after that comment.

Finding a center does figure to be a high priority for Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka this summer as the team tries to assemble a championship-caliber roster for the 2025-26 season.

JJ Redick is set to get another shot with the Los Angeles Lakers after the team's first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in his debut postseason as head coach.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported Friday that "Redick’s job is safe, and the Lakers are optimistic about his future with the franchise."

"Team sources say the hire was made last summer with the expectation that there would be growing pains, but they remain bullish on his ability to lead this group," Buha and Amick wrote.

Both LeBron James and Luka Dončić spoke positively about Redick after Wednesday's Game 5 loss. Buha and Amick believe those comments indicate that "Redick has the full support of the locker room as well."

"I think he's a hell of a coach," Dončić said. "Not many coaches do the stuff he did in his first year. I'm really glad I got coached by him this couple months. I feel sometimes like I'm back in Europe a little bit, so I love it. We have a great bond, so it's been nothing but amazing with him as a coach."

James said: "I thought he handled it extremely well. I thought he learned every single day, held us accountable, he pushed us. I thought JJ and his coaching staff were great throughout the whole season."

General manager Rob Pelinka also spoke in support of Redick during his end-of-season press conference.

"This season was full of some exciting things that we really need to lean into for our future. One is the coach sitting next to me," Pelinka said, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. "JJ brought just a complete revival of energy and incredibly hard work ethic, attention to detail, a spirit to our team, to our group, to our franchise as a rookie coach that we haven’t seen in a long time. Our level of confidence, my level of confidence couldn’t be higher.”

Redick found less postseason success than the Lakers' last few first-year head coaches. Frank Vogel made his Lakers debut by leading the team to a title in the 2020 bubble playoffs. Darvin Ham capped off his first season in Los Angeles by taking the Lakers to the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

Redick, however, did lead the Lakers to the No. 3 seed and 50 regular season wins, the franchise's highest win total since the 2020 championship season. That included a 19-13 stretch following Dončić's debut.

Keeping both Dončić and James happy will likely be key to the Lakers' plans going forward. Dončić is eligible to sign a four-year, $229 extension starting Aug. 2, and James has until June 29 to make a decision regarding his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26.

Pelinka told reporters on Thursday that the Lakers will do "whatever we can" to match James' expectations for the roster going forward. That could potentially include keeping Redick on as head coach.

Despite not being eligible for a supermax contract as a result of being traded midway through the season, Luka Dončić will likely sign a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers eventually.

Per The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick, the five-time All-Star is "widely expected" to sign a deal with Los Angeles "at some point."

ESPN's Dave McMenamin also reported Dončić will "take his time" with his decision on an extension in Los Angeles.

The timing and terms of an agreement will be worth keeping an eye on. Taking the supermax off the table means Dončić could decide to negotiate in such a way that will help him maximize his long-term earnings.

In the aftermath of the February trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers, ESPN's Bobby Marks broke down the three different contract options at his disposal.

Dončić can't sign any extension until Aug. 2 if he decides to do so. The two-plus-one option would allow him to sign a five-year deal worth up to $418 million that starts with the 2028-29 season.

If Dončić opts for immediate long-term security, he could sign a four-year, $228.6 million extension that goes into effect in the 2026-27 season. That would help the Lakers manage the cap since it would keep his average annual salary at $57.15 million.

Dončić could also elect to play out his current deal, opt out after the 2025-26 season and sign a five-year contract with the Lakers worth up to $296 million. The $59.2 million average annual salary would rank third among all current deals, ironically just ahead of Anthony Davis ($58.5 million).

Asked about his contract after the Lakers' season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Dončić explained he hadn't really thought about it.

"I've been focused on basketball," Dončić said. "So obviously this is the time now to think about everything."

Buha and Amick noted the Lakers made the trade without receiving any assurance from Dončić that he would sign a long-term deal with them.

There was speculation at the end of the 2022-23 season that the Dallas Mavericks were concerned about Dončić potentially seeking a way out if the organization continued to struggle. The Mavs had just wrapped up a season in which they finished 38-44 and blatantly tanked in the final week to protect their draft pick.

Any concern about Dončić requesting a trade out of Dallas went away when the front office assembled a roster that got the Mavs to the NBA Finals last year. That same front office stunned the world by deciding they wanted to be out of the Dončić business seven months after the Finals.

Since Dončić is still new to Los Angeles and doesn't have nearly the same emotional attachment to the organization that he did with the Mavs, general manager Rob Pelinka and his staff could be under some pressure to prove they can build a roster capable of contending for a title consistently before the 26-year-old decides to commit to them.

If Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James returns to play next season, it reportedly won't be for a discount.

According to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the 40-year-old is not expected to take a pay cut to accommodate the Lakers like he did last offseason when he took about $2.7 million less in order to help the team stay under the second salary apron.

James has a $52.6 million player option in his contract for next season after earning about $48.7 million this season.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked the Lakers out of the first round of the playoffs with a 103-96 win in Game 5 on Wednesday, the four-time NBA champion was noncommittal about his playing future.

James told reporters he was unsure how much longer he would continue to play, if at all:

"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we'll see."

On Thursday, ESPN's Shams Charania appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and said there is "no expectation" for James to retire, adding that his "understanding" is he will play at least one more season:

Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, LeBron was still among the best this season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game over 70 appearances.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer had his lowest scoring output since his rookie season in 2003-04, but he still impacted the game in myriad ways and helped L.A. seize the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record.

He was undoubtedly aided by the acquisition of superstar guard Luka Dončić, who gave James the type of ball-handling and playmaking support he hadn't had since teaming with Kyrie Irving while with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Perhaps most importantly and impressively, James reached the 70 games played mark for the second consecutive season after playing in fewer than 70 for five straight years from 2018-19 through 2022-23.

Most players are long retired by James' age, but he is still playing at an elite level, and it feels like he is still capable of being a top player on a championship team.

Assuming James plays next season, the Lakers are set to return their core of LeBron, Luka, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, although there is no doubt they need to add to the frontcourt after getting dominated in the paint by Minnesota.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka acknowledged that fact Thursday, telling Jovan Buha of The Athletic that adding size is one of his "primary goals" this coming offseason.

It doesn't sound as though James is going to take less money in order to facilitate that type of move, but if Pelinka can still make it happen, the Lakers could be a title contender with LeBron and Dončić leading the way.

Even though it's been assumed LeBron James will spend the remaining years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, there is reportedly at least a possibility he could look to play for another organization.

According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick, citing people close to James and Lakers team sources, they "would not rule that possibility out" of the future Hall of Famer potentially signing with another team this summer in pursuit of a championship:

"But if he decides to play longer and wants a Lakers extension to go along with that choice, then team sources say that conversation will begin with a familiar question: Is he still happy as a Laker?

"Ever since James came to town in 2018, his relationship with the organization has hinged on the answer to that question. If the answer is yes this time, then there’s a discussion to be had on that front. But if it’s not, then the prospect of him finishing his career elsewhere could be in play."

As has been tradition when the Lakers' season ends, James left open the possibility he could retire following their Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that," he told reporters when asked about his playing future. "Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we'll see."

In the same press conference, James said "I got a lot to think about myself" when asked about the state of the Lakers roster and his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted he spoke with James after the press conference, and his comments weren't necessarily about not wanting to play with the Lakers.

"Just continuing to play, I don't know where I'm at," James said. "That's what that is. Not coming back to play here. Just playing period."

There was one moment during the press conference that did stand out. It was when James got asked about the difficulty of playing with a true starting center after Anthony Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the Luka Dončić deal (starts at 6:50 mark).

James did end his answer with a laugh, so it could be interpreted as a lighthearted response. But history has shown he doesn't say or do anything in public by accident.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka seemed to be aware of James' comments. He said during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday that they will do "whatever we can" to meet roster expectations for the 40-year-old this summer.

Buha and Amick did note one thing that won't be on the table this summer, as opposed to last offseason, is a pay cut for James. His agent, Rich Paul, told McMenamin last June that James would consider signing for less than the max to open up the full midlevel exception if the Lakers could sign an "impact player."

Things didn't work for the Lakers to open up the full midlevel, though James still took a slight reduction in pay on a two-year, $101.3 million deal when he could have signed for up to $104 million.

Considering how much of James' life and businesses outside of basketball are based in the Los Angeles area, it would be a surprise if he left the Lakers.

If things don't play out how James wants with their roster construction this summer, or if he doesn't like the direction of the Lakers, maybe he would at least look into the possibility of playing for another team before his career comes to an end.

Bronny James reflected on playing with his father, LeBron, on the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his rookie season in the NBA.

"It's a blessing," James told Fox Sports' Melissa Rohlin. "Being able to learn from him, not only as a player, but as a dad. It's a different type of relationship. I try to take full advantage of it because it's something that a lot of people can't have. It was an amazing experience for me. And I'm looking forward to learning more from him, if he's still here or not, either way. But I'm just looking forward to it."

The younger James also confirmed that he wants to keep the pairing together moving forward.

"Yeah, for sure," James said, per Rohlin. "However long he can come back for, it's always a pleasure being around him. He's locked in. The stuff he does for his body and the preparation and stuff like that, I want to take full advantage of it."

LeBron has a $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season.

He was noncommittal surrounding his NBA future after the Lakers were eliminated in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, though.

"I don't know," LeBron said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't have an answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play."

As for Bronny, he signed a four-year contract worth $7.9 million with Los Angeles after the team selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

He appeared in 27 regular-season games as a rookie, primarily operating outside of head coach JJ Redick's rotation. Bronny and LeBron shared the floor for 10 total minutes across three games, via NBA.com.

Bronny averaged 2.3 points and 0.8 assists in 6.7 minutes per game, shooting 31.3 percent from the field.

The 20-year-old also appeared in 11 regular-season contests with the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles' G League affiliate.

Bronny fared much better in extended minutes, recording 21.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game on 44.0/38.0/81.5 shooting splits with South Bay.

As he begins preparing for his second season in the NBA, he's looking forward to possibly playing with his father once again.

LeBron James has a big challenge for his two sons.

Per Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, after breaking the NBA's all-time scoring record in February 2023, he asked whether Bronny or Bryce would be the one to break it.

"Which one of y'all is gonna try to break my record?" James asked in the locker room after breaking the scoring record.

Asking anyone to break James' scoring record is a tall task, let alone two players who, at the time, weren't even in the league yet. Since proposing the challenge to his sons, Bronny, his eldest, overcame a health scare at USC and was ultimately drafted last summer.

Bronny struggled to find his place early on in Summer League, but ended up making strides towards being an NBA regular. While he appeared in just 27 games for the Lakers and averaged just 6.7 minutes per contest, he had a solid season in the G League.

In 11 appearances for the South Bay Lakers, Bronny averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

As for Bryce, he's still working his way toward joining his father and older brother in the league. He's currently in his senior year at Sierra Canyon but is committed to play for Arizona next season. Bryce is considered to be a 3-star prospect by 247Sports' Composite.

Even if Bronny has a breakout year next year and Bryce turns into a solid NBA player, it's hard to imagine either can best their father's scoring record. James is at 42,184 points and seemingly still has a few more years left in him.

While no record is unbreakable, James' will likely stand for a long time.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is focused on maximizing the potential of superstar Luka Dončić following the team's playoff elimination on Wednesday night.

"Our first conversation was that he wants to be coached, he wants to be held accountable ... I want to bring out the best version of Luka," Redick said Thursday, per team reporter Mike Trudell. "That’s what he wants from me. That's the partnership going forward. That's the expectation, the baseline of what we're trying to do. Let’s try to bring out the best version of Luka and hopefully win a championship doing that.”

Dončić ending the 2024-25 season as a member of the Lakers may have seemed unlikely when the year started, but Los Angeles ended up acquiring him in a shocking blockbuster trade involving the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 2.

While the 26-year-old dealt with a calf strain in Dallas and underwent a change of scenery in the middle of the season, it's still worth noting that his production during his 2024-25 campaign represented a step down from his exceptional career as of late.

Dončić averaged 28.2 points per game on the season, his lowest scoring average since the 2020-21 season. He also shot 45.0 percent from the field, his worst percentage since his rookie year in 2019.

The five-time All-Star also connected on a mere 43.8 percent of his field goals as a member of the Lakers following the trade. The team was eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games during the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Given the age of Dončić as well as his tumultuous season, it's fair to assume that he'll make improvements in certain areas of his game with a full offseason in Los Angeles under his belt.

Redick also confirmed that he'll be focused on helping Dončić continue to elevate his performance.