The Los Angeles Lakers whirlwind of a 2024-25 campaign came to an end in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they suffered a 103-96 loss that eliminated them from the postseason. The Lakers enter the offseason believing they have their leader of the future, Luka Doncic, in place, but they need to find a way to build the roster around him.

General manager Rob Pelinka did a great job of finding a way to acquire Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, and JJ Redick led Los Angeles to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference before they fell apart against Minnesota. Now, they need to figure out how to build a path forward with Doncic, which is why it is particularly noteworthy to see that this trio was spotted getting dinner together on Friday night.

“An illustration of the level of collaboration between the Dončić camp and his new team that is already underway unexpectedly emerged Saturday,” Marc Stein wrote. “Much attention in the hours before the Denver Nuggets' Game 7 victory over the visiting LA Clippers was soaked up by Friday night footage circulating of Dončić leaving a dinner with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick at Craig's in West Hollywood.”

“The summit over a meal took place just two nights after their season ended with a Game 5 home loss to Minnesota. The meeting was also attended by Lara Beth Seager, chief brand officer and business manager for Dončić.”

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Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick looking to build Lakers future around Luka Doncic

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Lakers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. Doncic is going to need a new contract soon, and the question of LeBron James' future in the league still looms large after he turned 40 years old back in December. Assuming these two run it back for at least one more season, though, the front office is going to have to figure out a way to properly support their star duo in a way they were unable to this year.

Having Doncic in place as a star to build around for the future is good, but it means nothing if the rest of the team around him doesn't suffice. Los Angeles took a step forward this season, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to realize their championship aspirations. It all starts with getting Doncic to buy into their plan, and it's clear that the Lakers are going to be a team to watch this offseason.