1 Thing Lakers must do this season (and 2 they hope to accomplish)

The Los Angeles Lakers have left many baffled given their approach to the 2024 NBA offseason. Los Angeles opted not to sign any new free agents, kept its draft picks, hired a first-year head coach, and maintained that it was open to the right trade without actually completing a deal.

As a result, many Lakers fans are posing the simplest of questions: What exactly is the organization hoping to accomplish in the immediate future?

LeBron James will turn 40 in December, while Anthony Davis will be 32 by the end of the regular season. Both of those facts suggest that the Lakers are in win-now mode, but the tone of the offseason seems to suggest the opposite.

In terms of what's been divulged to the general public, Los Angeles has consistently stated how focused they are on player development—suggesting the long-term vision is the top priority.

One approach doesn't necessarily have to cancel out the other, however, especially with two All-NBA players on the roster. The Lakers can make smarter decisions as far as valuing draft picks and developing talent is concerned while making measured choices for immediate improvement.

The question is: With this apparent strategy established, what are the Lakers hoping to accomplish this season—and what must be a top priority?

Must do: Win a playoff series

This might seem like a lower standard than the Lakers are used to setting, but it's an essential goal to achieve. Los Angeles has already won a championship and reached a second Conference Finals with Davis and James, but that's masked a string of sustained inconsistency.

Removing the title in 2020 and the deep run in 2023, the Lakers have either missed the playoffs or lost in the first round in each of the other four seasons during the James era.

By winning a playoff series in 2024-25, the Lakers would go a long way toward setting a new annual standard. Going further than the second round is obviously the goal, but simply making it out of the first round would create a new minimum expectation.

Winning a first-round series would also help Los Angeles build momentum for the JJ Redick tenure as head coach, which is as essential as any other result this season.

Hope to: Trade for a franchise cornerstone—without losing young core

The Lakers have been relatively quiet during the 2024 offseason. They added Dalton Knecht and Bronny James via the NBA Draft, and hired JJ Redick to replace Darvin Ham as head coach, but they've thus far made no other alterations to the roster.

General manager Rob Pelinka has made it clear that he's open to the right trade, however, and any potential move will likely be for a franchise cornerstone—so long as the young core remains somewhat intact.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that Los Angeles will consider a consolidation trade ahead of the 2024-25 season. That move would be executed to create a clearer picture as far as the structure of the rotation is concerned—thus positioning a current Lakers player to take on a larger role.

With an abundance of trade rumors linking Los Angeles to big names on hefty contracts, however, it's clear that Pelinka is looking to make a splash.

Hope to: Win a championship

It's the goal of every organization, but the Lakers are in a unique position as far as this ambitious hope is concerned. James is entering his age-40 season and there's no possible way to guarantee that he'll maintain his All-NBA level of play, let alone 70-plus-game availability, moving forward.

As such, the championship or bust expectations lodged against the Lakers on a yearly basis are more profound than perhaps ever before.

Failing to at least play at a contending level will result in leaguewide criticism that Los Angeles wasted what could be the last year of James' career. After he and Davis helped Team USA win the 2024 Olympic gold medal in Paris, the belief that they should have more help is even more widespread.

The Lakers' goal is always to win a championship, but James' age and Olympic success have raised the external standard—and the internal hope will inevitably align with it.