The Los Angeles Lakers must get their offseason tasks right for a chance at the NBA title next season. It might be LeBron James‘ last year in the NBA, and he would love to go out on a high note. King James dominated the NBA for 22 seasons, and next year will be his 23rd season, a feat no player has ever achieved.
The issues are right before the Lakers’ front office: they are shouting for a center. They need a big man to replace Anthony Davis, who left for the Dallas Mavericks following Luka Dončić’s arrival at the Lakers. Therefore, Bobby Marks, the former assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, detailed the critical issues for the Lakers.
Former NBA Executive Details the Lakers’ To-Do List for the 2025 Offseason
Appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Marks stated, “I expect them to be extremely aggressive this offseason, especially with LeBron going into, anyhow, he’s got one year left on his contract.”
To give James a grand send-off with a fifth NBA title victory would certainly be a fairytale story. However, Marks pointed out three concerns.
Firstly, he said, “I think there are three things here. You gotta take advantage of the $60 million in expiring contracts when you’re certainly looking at players like Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura.”
These players will enter the final season of their contracts with a combined total of $29,759,259. Freeing up that cap space could be make or break for the Lakers to get their players.
“I expect them to be extremely aggressive this offseason. … They are going to go out and get a center.”
—@BobbyMarks42 on the Lakers pic.twitter.com/I16hbLHgrs
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 3, 2025
And why should they free those players? That’s the second thing to tick off the bucket list. Marks continued, “The second thing is they showed their hand at the trade deadline, and when they made that Mark Williams trade, that wound up failing him on his physical. They are going to go out and get a center this offseason. We will see how that goes. You’ve got one first-round pick to do that.”
Getting a center would be crucial for the Lakers to get rebounds and have someone play solid interior defense. If not, teams with big men like the Minnesota Timberwolves will run riot. There are rumors of Jaren Jackson Jr. being talked about arriving at the Lakers. If that happens, do check out the Lakers for the next season.
“And the third thing is, keep an eye on Aug. 2, that is when Luka is eligible to sign that extension. So, you’re trying to build that for now, but I also think they need to have an eye for the future when, eventually, LeBron does retire here,” concluded Marks, stating Dončić’s contract extension.
The Slovenian will be eligible for a four-year, $228.6 million contract extension, which will undoubtedly be in the minds of the Lakers’ front office. Hopefully, they can keep the ball rolling and make him the centerpiece when James rides off into the sunset.
Thus, the Lakers must act fast to challenge for the NBA title for the 2025-26 season.
