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The Los Angeles Lakers are undoubtedly traversing through an extremely crucial offseason. LeBron James has opted into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season but is understood to be “monitoring” the front office closely as he continues to consider his future past the upcoming season.
Recently, the Lakers passed on the opportunity to re-sign Dorian Finney-Smith to a long-term contract, as he instead signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Houston Rockets. With the roster begging for immediate upgrades, especially in the form of a starting center, rumors suggest that the front office is instead attempting to maintain cap flexibility for the 2027 season.
“'We want to position ourselves for Luka’s co-star two full seasons from now' is a truly insane message. I know the point is to remain employed, Rob, but that’s diabolical,” wrote Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, as rumors continue to suggest that the Lakers are aiming to have cap space for a max contract in 2027, instead of making immediate roster upgrades.
That will not only irk James, who is looking to immediately compete for a championship, but it also seems to have frustrated fans, who want to see their team compete in the upcoming season as well.
“2027 stuff for Lakers timeline just doesn't add up. You want clean books in 2027, one way to do that is to not have LeBron or Luka around anymore,” one X user wrote, suggesting that if the Lakers end up not making the necessary moves this offseason, they may run the risk of losing either Doncic or James.
This narrative is fueled further by the Lakers’ decision to sign Jake LaRavia on a short-term, two-year deal. The Lakers are seemingly looking to avoid long-term commitments for the time being in order to maintain flexibility down the line, which may be a result of the uncertainty surrounding the roster.
Should the Lakers opt for long-term flexibility?
With James approaching the end of his career and looking to keep tabs on what the Lakers' front office does this offseason, the decision on long-term roster flexibility may be out of Rob Pelinka’s hands. If James decides that L.A. is not able to build a team capable of competing in the present, he may plot his exit from the team.
If that were to happen, the Lakers would need to sign another max contract superstar to combine with Doncic. However, by forgoing future flexibility in a bid to build a team capable of winning now, the Lakers may be left in a difficult position if James decides he wants to play somewhere else. So by not making moves to improve the team's depth at center and the wing, the front office is sending a message.
This decision may irk fans, but it is seemingly aimed at ensuring the Lakers stay competitive moving forward, regardless of how LeBron's career ends. That and the constant criticism from fans might be something that Pelinka has to start ignoring for the time being.
