The future suddenly looks brighter after an eventful and transformative offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers.
We’ve now reached the dog days of the offseason and player movement around the league has become infrequent. The Lakers seem to be one of the many teams who are just about done with their roster construction for the time being and are already prepping for the 2025-2026 season to get underway.
The Lakers have had a wildly productive offseason and should be feeling positive about the direction of the franchise. They addressed major holes in the roster, the Buss family agreed to sell majority ownership of the franchise to Dodgers owner Mark Walter and Luka Doncic signed a three-year extension with the team.
Roster Construction
While there are still some question marks hanging around the margins of the Lakers roster, they went into the offseason with a clear understanding of what was needed and acquired some crucial pieces without giving up a single trade asset. The newest Lakers Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and rookie Adou Theiro each complement the roster in their own way with their valued skillsets.
Going into this next season, the Lakers have an improved team and are in a financially flexible position to make even more improvements later in the season if need be.
The Buss Family Sells Majority Ownership
In a stunning move, the Buss family agreed to sell majority ownership of the Lakers to Mark Walter in an estimated $10 billion evaluation, which was the highest ever for a U.S. professional sports franchise. Generations of Lakers fans only ever knew the franchise to be owned by the Buss family dating back to 1979 when Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the team.
Quite a monumental couple of months it’s been for the Lakers; first acquiring Luka Doncic in the blockbuster trade to then bringing in new majority ownership. Events that have undoubtedly ushered in a new era in Lakers history.
Luka Commits to the Lakers
And finally, Luka and the Lakers put pen to paper to solidify their commitment to one other for the foreseeable future. Both parties have been adamant about their desire to win championships, and the pursuit has already begun.
Hours after inking his deal, Luka and a handful of his Lakers teammates, coaches and front office staff accompanied him at a Backstreet Boys concert in Las Vegas to celebrate this new partnership. The team chemistry and overall positive vibe from the organization has been very noticeable.
Overall Grade: A-
There are not too many negative things you can say about how the Lakers offseason went. There’s a renewed sense of optimism going forward and there’s a clear vision placed forward by Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss and the front office.
PHOTO: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images
The post State of the Lakers: Grading L.A.’s Offseason So Far appeared first on Los Angeles Sports Nation.