On Sunday, the Phoenix Suns finally washed their hands with Kevin Durant after 2.5 seasons.
The franchise traded the 36-year-old bucket-getter to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and five future second-round picks.
With the Rockets completing a beneficial deal for the two-time NBA champion after losing in the first round of the postseason, Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk thinks there’s immense pressure on Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to deliver this summer.
“The Lakers already had plenty of reasons as to why this offseason would be a crucial one for the franchise,” Rovenchuk wrote Sunday.
“(Luka) Doncic and LeBron James will need to be given the tools to compete in the Western Conference. Rob Pelinka cannot be afforded many wasted motions.”
“One could look at the Rockets and think the Lakers still have a better path to playoff success with their superstar duo. However, the NBA Finals matchup this season has proven the value of having a well-built and filled-out roster.”
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“It is not difficult to look at this Lakers team and identify which areas need to be bolstered. Magic Johnson was more than capable of pointing out the core upgrades necessary. The execution of the process will be the matter that gets Pelinka put under a microscope during this offseason.”
If the Lakers learned anything from their 2025 postseason performance, it should be that they aren’t prepared for prime time yet.
Acquiring Doncic before the Feb. 2 trade deadline helped give Los Angeles a clear-cut plan for the post-James era. However, it didn’t compensate for their subpar frontcourt unit, which the Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of in the postseason.
With skilled big men such as Walker Kessler, Nic Claxton, and Jarrett Allen being linked to Los Angeles, Pelinka and the Lakers have no reason to enter the 2025-26 season with Jaxson Hayes as their No. 1 center option.
The road to contention for the Lakers starts now.
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