Stick a fork in them, the Lakers are finally done.
The reigning champion Thunder held off a late rally to sweep the Western Conference semifinals series on Monday night, 115-110.
Anybody with two functioning pairs of eyes could see the gap between these two teams. The Thunder are the epitome of modern basketball. They are young, athletic, and deep.
The Lakers, well, they were held together by a 41-year-old and still elite LeBron James, adrenaline and duct tape.
Now that it’s over, uncertainty hangs over the Lakers like a dark cloud.
In a few short weeks it will be the offseason, and with it, comes decisions that could define the next decade of Lakers basketball.
So without further ado here are the five most important questions the Lakers will have to face this offseason:
This isn’t just the biggest Lakers question. It’s the biggest in the NBA universe.
James is a free agent and can sign with any team. At 41 years old, he could also decide to retire.
After the game, James was asked about his future, and he reflected on his 23rd season as a whole.
He talked about missing the first six weeks of the season. He talked about the process, early practices, and pregame routines. He talked about becoming the third option. The preparation. The sacrifice. His family. His daughter. His wife. His sons.
His comments didn’t sound like a retirement announcement. But it also didn’t sound like a player who was fully convinced he wanted to keep doing this.
“I don’t know,” James said when asked if he was going to retire or keep playing.
That means the Lakers are stuck in limbo until he decides.
If LeBron does retire, the Lakers can begin to plan his jersey retirement as they build a roster around Luka Doncic.
If he decides to return for a 24th season, the question becomes whether the Lakers and LeBron can compete for a title together in the brutal Western Conference. Does he return to LA? Or take his talents to another team?
Since signing as an undrafted free agent, Reaves has become one of the best development stories in Lakers franchise history.
Reaves has a player option for around $14.5 million next season that he will almost certainly decline. He is eligible for a five-year, $241 to $246 million max deal.
That kind of money is allotted for superstars and franchise cornerstones. Reaves hasn’t even made an All-Star team. Investing in Reaves means you’re investing in a tag-team partnership between him and Doncic.
Is Reaves really the best player to pair with Doncic?
Both players need the ball and neither is an elite defender. But the Lakers could get sentimental.
Maybe another team like the Jazz, Bulls, or Nets fall in love with Reaves and force the Lakers’ hand. Or maybe there’s other teams that could be involved in sign-and-trade scenarios.
Either way, the negotiations with Reaves will quietly shape the next five years of the franchise.
This one is more fascinating because this is what the Lakers do. They collect stars like Thanos collects infinity stones.
There’s going to be plenty of names floating through NBA circles like smoke: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kevin Durant. Zion Williamson. Ja Morant. Donovan Mitchell. Or maybe a reunion with Anthony Davis.
But the question for the Lakers shouldn’t just be about whether or not to chase another star, it should be about whether or not that’s the right way to build a roster to beat the Thunder.
OKC didn’t sweep the Lakers because they have a handful of transcendent superstars. They overwhelmed the Lakers because they had waves upon waves of depth.
Unfortunately, the era of simply stacking names and printing championships feels increasingly outdated. The Lakers don’t necessarily need another superstar. They need a roster to compete with OKC.
This is where the offseason becomes complicated fast.
Rui Hachimura played himself into serious money. Luke Kennard can still shoot the leather off the basketball. Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart have player options. Jaxson Hayes remains intriguing despite inconsistency.
The Lakers will have a lot of cap flexibility once free agency starts, but many of the best players available will be their own free agents. Do you bring back Kennard? Hachimura? Let them walk?
There will be a lot of smaller roster decisions the Lakers will have to make soon.
Mark Walter did not buy the Lakers to maintain the status quo.
Owners who spend billions arrive with ambition, vision, and ego.
Walter already transformed the Dodgers into the gold standard of modern sports ownership. Data-driven. Aggressive. Ruthless when necessary.
Does he empower Rob Pelinka? Does he replace him? Does he bring a president of basketball operations of his own choosing? He’s already started to restructure the front office and more moves seem inevitable.
The Lakers aren’t just entering an offseason. They’re entering a new era under Walter’s ownership.
And how they answer these five questions will determine whether or not Luka Doncic spends the prime of his career competing for championships or being the star of a lackluster version of the Lake Show.
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