Rob Pelinka has known that the Los Angeles Lakers needed to upgrade the depth chart at center for multiple seasons. Former franchise player Anthony Davis first submitted his request for improved support in 2023 and reiterated his desire for help in 2024.
Unfortunately, the Lakers' season ended on May 1, 2025 when Pelinka's failure to improve the quality at center inevitably reared its head.
Pelinka deserves credit for attempting to find an upgrade by trading for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams. He should also be praised for walking away from the deal after a failed physical threatened to endanger the promise of the Luka Doncic era.
The harsh reality facing the Lakers, however, is that waiting until the 25th hour to trade for Williams epitomizes the issue with Pelinka's approach.
Pelinka had the better part of two years to acknowledge that there was a glaring weakness at center. Yes, trading Davis for Doncic created a unique void, but Los Angeles knew that depending on journeyman Jaxson Hayes was a risky approach—and it waited too long to do anything about it, ultimately subjecting itself to the consequences of the Williams deal falling through after the trade deadline.
Lo and behold, Hayes struggled to stay on the court during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and none other than Rudy Gobert ended the Lakers' season.
Lakers' refusal to improve depth at center cost them their season
Los Angeles' season came to an unceremonious end when it lost Game 5 to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 103-96. The Lakers held Anthony Edwards to 5-of-19 shooting from the field, as well as an 0-of-11 mark from beyond the arc, which should've resulted in a victory.
Gobert, however, found great joy in defeating Shaquille O'Neal's former team, dominating on both ends of the floor.
Gobert finished Game 5 with 27 points, 24 rebounds, nine offensive boards, and two blocks. He was nothing short of magnificent, imposing his will against a Lakers team that finally ripped the bandage off and played without a center.
It should come as no surprise that the Timberwolves finished with 18 offensive rebounds and 56 points in the paint.
The harsh reality is that at least some of this could've been prevented had the Lakers invested in a quality center. Whether they would've been backing up Davis or anchoring the interior for the current roster, the need had been established across multiple seasons.
Los Angeles will now go into yet another offseason hoping to find an answer at center who's talented enough to help Doncic contend in 2025-26.
It's admittedly difficult to be too critical of Pelinka after his decision to hire JJ Redick paid off with the franchise's first 50-win season since 2019-20. It's also worth noting that the Timberwolves reached the 2024 Western Conference Finals and entered the playoffs having won 17 of their final 21 regular-season games.
In the end, however, Lakers forward Rui Hachimura only needed one sentence to epitomize the consequences of Pelinka's delayed action.
Rui: "We need somebody to get rebounds."
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) May 1, 2025
The playoffs are all about beating the best of the best, and Pelinka's indecision cost the Lakers their shot at doing so.