The Los Angeles Lakers have felt the fury of fans who expected a more eventful, if not subjectively productive offseason. It started off with a stream of headlines centered around Dan Hurley, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, and JJ Redick, but ultimately failed to produce proven incoming value.
Uncertainty exists surrounding Redick's first season as a head coach and the rookie-year contributions of James and Knecht, but that doesn't necessarily mean the wrong choice was made.
While trade rumors remain in circulation, Los Angeles has prioritized internal growth during the 2024 offseason. It retained the rights to its draft picks, continued to explore the upside of two-way contracts, and put together a staff that thrives in the player development realm.
Unfortunately, the only sound that the outside noise seems to be generating is a collective groan over the Lakers' inability to add another star player alongside LeBron James.
James, 39, could be entering the final season of his storied career. It's a possibility that the Lakers have been faced with for several years now, as his unprecedented consistency has rewritten the laws of longevity in the NBA.
For as remarkable as that may be, it's also created a sense of urgency that's prevented the Lakers from building a sustainably strong team—a trend that's finally being bucked in 2024.
Lakers are finally building for life beyond LeBron
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has developed a habit of going all-in on the short-term solution. The trade for Anthony Davis will live on as one of the best decisions in franchise history, but the choices made in the aftermath of that deal have produced destructive side effects.
Chief among those directives has been the decision to trade first-round draft picks for a revolving door of point guards—none of whom lasted longer than a season and a half.
That process began with Los Angeles shipping out a first-round draft pick for Dennis Schröder, who was gone the next summer. It continued with the Lakers doing the same for Russell Westbrook, and culminated with the team giving another first-rounder up to move off of the former MVP.
The final trade enabled the Lakers to acquire D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, however, and Pelinka has been steadily building toward a healthy shift in philosophy ever since.
The 2024 offseason has been somewhat uneventful, but it's also been a summer of change. Los Angeles retained the rights to both of its draft picks, avoided overpaying veterans who were strong options among a weak class of free agents, and prioritized coaching candidates who could identify and develop talent internally.
That may not yield praise from those who want to see James contend for a fifth career championship, but it's positioned the Lakers to compete beyond his closing window.
It's the unfortunate reality facing James and Los Angeles entering the 2024-25 season: No one knows how much longer this pairing will last. He may be the king of longevity, but even James will ultimately lose the war with Father Time—no matter how many battles he's won thus far.
Los Angeles hasn't been as active as some would like, but giving a team that reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals one last chance before reevaluating during a 2025 offseason that projects to have a stronger draft class and group of free agents is a decision worth applauding.
It may not fit James' timeline to perfection, but it helps the Lakers prepare for life after their soon-to-be 40-year-old superstar.