Many Los Angeles Lakers fans have unapologetically voiced their frustrations with the offseason that Rob Pelinka is having. The Golden State Warriors serve as a healthy reminder that things could always genuinely be worse.
Both the Warriors and Lakers entered the offseason in similar positions. They were playoff teams hoping to build on their foundation to truly join the elite company of the Western Conference.
It is fair to question how successful the Lakers have been in elevating themselves from where they were last season. However, the incompetence of their Pacific Division rivals in retooling around their core is downright blasphemous.
Warriors offseason continues to stall due to Jonathan Kuminga
The inescapable nightmare that has haunted the Warriors in the summer of 2025 is the restricted free agency of Jonathan Kuminga. With no movement or traction on that front, the Warriors have done, quite literally, nothing else during that time.
Jake Fischer released his latest NBA rumor mill updates on Thursday, focusing on the restricted free agents in the league. It was clear that Kuminga's situation lacked positive updates.
Fischer highlighted the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls as consistent teams linked to the young forward. However, nothing has trended in the right direction.
Fischer even added that the Phoenix Suns had entered the sweepstakes following their escape of the Bradley Beal saga. That was immediately asterisked with the fact that the Suns do not have much to offer for the Warriors in a potential sign-and-trade scenario that would be worth their time.
With no nearing solution to the question of what to do with Kuminga, the Warriors are firmly in limbo. They have stood idle like an NPC in an RPG.
Lakers have done their due diligence in free agency
The Lakers, for their part, have improved their team during the offseason. Aggressively moving up to snag Adou Thiero in the 2025 NBA Draft was a great start.
The tough blow that left a sour taste in everyone's mouth was losing Dorian Finney-Smith to open free agency. That was particularly disappointing given the second-round draft capital surrendered to acquire the two-way forward.
In all fairness to the Lakers, they recovered respectably. Pelinka pivoted to adding Jake LaRavia shortly after. The extra financial flexibility was also used to address their biggest need, the center position.
The DeAndre Ayton signing came with skepticism. However, a solid case can also be made for it being the best the Lakers could have done in the circumstances.
Suffering through the recent LeBron James saga was not fun for Lakers fans. There also remains a clear need to keep improving the roster. However, the spot that Los Angeles finds themselves in is not terrible by any means.
It is easy to get frustrated watching teams like the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets improve. If comparison is the activity in play then Lakers fans should also be able to find comfort in seeing the Warriors getting left behind by the Western Conference in far more laughable ways.