"It's been a failure": Nick Wright weighs in on LA Lakers' lack of moves amid ongoing free agency
LA Lakers fans are eagerly waiting for their team to get something done in free agency. The Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in the 2024 NBA draft, but most are convinced the roster remains inadequate to challenge for a championship. The free agent market is possibly Lakers GM Rob Pelinka’s only remaining option to improve the team’s lineup.
Pelinka and his front office staff have failed in the early stages of free agency to get a player who could immediately help the Lakers. LeBron James was reportedly willing to take a pay cut if one of Klay Thompson, Jonas Valanciunas or James Harden could be acquired. All three have since signed for different teams, leaving James without his preferred additions.
Without the players he wanted Pelinka to get, “King James” eventually sought and got a max two-year, $104 million contract. The transaction pushes LA past the second apron, giving Pelinka with little wiggle room to tinker with the roster.
FOX Sports analyst Nick Wright, an unabashed LeBron James supporter, had this to say about the LA Lakers in free agency on FS1's "First Things First":
“Rob Pelinka, at the [trade] deadline when they [Lakers] didn’t make a move, he said, ‘We didn’t make moves because we wanna be able to have three tradeable first-round picks in the offseason and have maximum flexibility.’ And now, they have struck out once again.
“By any definition, it’s been a failure,” Wright added.
Wright also pointed out, based on a report by The Athletic, that Pelinka never got the chance to talk to Klay Thompson. Meanwhile, the former Golden State Warriors star had dinner with Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and Vice President of Basketball Operations Michael Finley. For Wright, that was a bad look for Pelinka, who was only limited to a talk with Thompson’s agent.
LA Lakers could be forced to run back the same lineup
LeBron James’ max signing has put the LA Lakers in a tough spot to come up with a trade. They’re way past the $12.8 million mid-level exception that would have been activated had the four-time MVP taken a pay cut. The best remaining free agents are now seemingly out of reach or too complicated to acquire.
DeMar DeRozan, Saddiq Bey and Miles Bridges are arguably three of the best remaining free agents. However, the Lakers now likely don’t have enough to bring one of them in. A sign-and-trade with any of the three could still be an option, but Pelinka will have to get into a much bigger exchange for the math to work.
LeBron James knew there wasn’t a player left on the market who could turn the LA Lakers into serious title contenders next season. He might as well take the max deal and force Rob Pelinka to look for other ways to upgrade the roster.
New coach JJ Redick will have a roster that Darvin Ham couldn’t lead past the first round of the playoffs last season. Redick's reinforcements for now will be rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.
These circumstances could force the Lakers to run it back next season with pretty much the same roster, and if so, Pelinka is likely to be on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from fans and analysts alike next season.