The bright lights of Hollywood favor the glitz and the glam above all else. Despite that, the Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of pathways to improving the roster this offseason that can involve far less spectacle.
Blockbuster trades like the Luka Doncic deal will always garner the immediate headlines. However, the stories of calculated genius that emerge further away from the initial event can be just as rewarding tales to tell.
Rob Pelinka should be as active as any other general manager on the trade market this offseason in his pursuit of surrounding Doncic and LeBron James with a championship core in Los Angeles. There will be some less obvious names that are worth considering in the hunt of banner number 18.
Ajay Mitchell
The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from their first NBA championship since relocating from Seattle. If they seal the deal, the celebrations will briefly overshadow a problem that is creeping up on Sam Presti.
The Thunder have picks 15, 24, and 44 in the 2025 NBA Draft. They also have 15 players who could all be under contract for the 2025-26 season, assuming the Thunder pick up the team options on Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams.
This puts the Thunder into a unique spot. They either need to trade away those picks and kick the can down the road, make room on their roster for the new talent, or some combination of the two.
If Mitchell is pegged as one of the expendable candidates on the Thunder, the Lakers should step in and acquire this year's rookie. The 38th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft averaged 6.8 points during 16.6 minutes per game, with shooting splits of 50-38-83, in his 36 appearances in the regular season.
A stacked roster like the Thunder may not have need for his services. However, the two-way role player is one that the Lakers would love after passing him up in the 2024 draft. This would likely come down to whether the Thunder are wiling to help out an in-conference contender.
Robert Williams
Robert Williams has managed to evade the never-ending discussion about the center position in Los Angeles. That should not be the case.
The Lakers need to be comfortable with the health of Williams, because no one needs a repeat of the Mark Williams fiasco. If they are, the two-way center should absolutely be on the radar for Pelinka this offseason.
Williams averaged 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks during 17.6 minutes per game in 2024-25. His $13.3 million deal for 2025-26 would be easy to match salaries for from the Lakers' end.
Ochai Agbaji
How highly do the Toronto Raptors view Ochai Agbaji? The team is overloaded with forwards and wings, and if Masai Ujiri wanted to offload one of those, the Lakers should be an Agbaji trade suitor.
The third-year wing had the best shooting season of his career in 2024-25, averaging 10.4 points while connecting on 49.8 percent of his attempts and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Lakers would love to have that kind of production.
Agbaji's athletic tools give him plenty of resources to be a strong defender in his NBA career. A strong presence on the perimeter would be more than desirable for JJ Redick's team on that end.