The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the Luka Doncic era in a promising position. Los Angeles is currently nine games clear of .500, in sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and just 4.5 games back of the No. 2 seed.
Despite how advantageous their current situation is, there's a harsh reality that they and their fans may soon need to come to terms with.
To acquire Doncic, the Lakers parted with what most have described as a shockingly limited collection of assets. For as true as that may be from a pure trade-value perspective, Los Angeles has undeniably lost crucial value in areas Doncic isn't necessarily equipped to help.
By trading former franchise player Anthony Davis and starting shooting guard Max Christie, the Lakers lost two of their painfully limited number of consistent defenders.
The deal was worth it from the perspective of Doncic being a five-time All-NBA First Team honoree who's six years younger than Davis. It's also imperative to note that Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 and the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
The harsh reality facing the Lakers, however, is that the process of building a true contender around Doncic won't realistically begin until the offseason.
Lakers got Luka Doncic, but may wait on other meaningful changes
Perhaps the Lakers could package Rui Hachimura and his $17 million salary with a first-round draft pick to acquire an impact player. It's also possible that they'd be willing to part with Austin Reaves now that they have the ultimate backcourt playmaker in the lineup.
That could potentially kickstart the process of building around Doncic and give Los Angeles a chance to see if the 25-year-old can recreate the postseason magic he's conjured up in two of the past three years.
The market is now remarkably limited going into the 2025 NBA trade deadline, however, which calls the validity of that approach into question. It's obviously fair to question what a realistic target is after Los Angeles did the unthinkable by acquiring Doncic in the first place.
One simply can't help but peruse the open market and question what team might actually be willing to part with a player who has the talent level to make a significant immediate impact.
The teams that are on pace to miss the playoffs are either devoid of star-caliber talent or unlikely to want to part with who they have. Some exceptions could be found within the New Orleans Pelicans or, stretching the star definition, the Portland Trail Blazers or Utah Jazz.
If the Lakers are doing what they appear to be, however, which is hitting the reset button and prioritizing Doncic's skill set, then the appealing options are limited.
The Lakers aren't in a position to take risks on players who may or may not be able to provide championship contributions alongside a player who's less than a year removed from playing in the NBA Finals. Unless it's a trade for a cost-efficient role player, Los Angeles is thus better suited to wait until the offseason when the list of acquirable options expands.
If that results in the Lakers prioritizing affordable rotation patchwork ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline, then the future of the franchise would be better off for it.