The Los Angeles Lakers are the only team in the NBA that hasn't signed a new player. It's a fact that all Lakers fans are painfully familiar with as they stare down the possibility of running it back with a roster that lost in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Thankfully, Los Angeles still intends to make a move—it could just take some time before general manager Rob Pelinka pulls the trigger.
Los Angeles drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, and re-signed LeBron James and Max Christie. All four moves offer reason for intrigue, but new head coach JJ Redick will be without any incoming proven commodities who weren't already on the 2023-24 roster.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers aren't in any rush to get a deal done and will likely hold off on doing so for the next month or two.
"Now, according to league and team sources, the Lakers are expected to remain patient in their quest to improve their roster...Regardless, the Lakers expect to make a consolidation trade at some point, though that could come closer to the start of the season, according to league sources."
It's a frustrating development for those who are growing impatient, but it's interesting to imagine what a consolidation trade might look like.
Lakers may not make a move until closer to the 2024-25 season
Los Angeles had been linked to several of the top names on the open market, including James Harden, Chris Paul, and Klay Thompson. Once they'd landed elsewhere, an opportunity existed for the Lakers to help Gary Trent Jr. achieve a Malik Monk type of success on a one-year deal.
Unfortunately, the acquisition of new talent has been limited to the 2024 NBA Draft—although that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Knecht enters the NBA as the reigning SEC Player of the Year and a widely applauded selection. Most projected him as a potential top-10 pick, which made the Lakers' acquisition at No. 17 a tremendous value grab that could provide short-term and long-term value.
Los Angeles also re-signed Christie to a four-year, $32 million deal that clearly indicates a belief that he was underutilized by previous head coach Darvin Ham.
Perhaps Los Angeles will be proven right, with addition by subtraction being the most valuable offseason move they could've decided upon. It's also possible that Redick will live up to the Pat Riley expectations that some in the organization have set for him.
It's even worth acknowledging that the 2024 class of free agents was thin on impact players, and Los Angeles had limited cap space to begin with.
It's simply difficult to comfortably state that a team has improved without making a single win-now alteration to its roster. Christie and Knecht should offer value that wasn't present a season ago, and Bronny James could surprise his critics, but Los Angeles is coming off of a first-round exit—and skepticism is subsequently warranted in terms of how big of a step forward this team can take.
The silver lining is that the Lakers aren't done making offseason moves, but it could be quite some time before anything materializes.