With their season over, the Los Angeles Lakers are facing an abundance of significant offseason questions, most notably around the futures of LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick addressed those topics with media Tuesday, a day after their Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Per Pelinka, the Lakers want both players back. And they’ll make any roster decisions with building around Luka Dončić in mind.
"The archetype of the roster that we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka and the things he needs,” Pelinka said. “Clearly he’s that leader and player for the future that we want to build the right way around.”
Roster building with Luka a ‘collaborative process’
Dončić's return isn’t a question. He’s starting the first year of a three-year, $160.4 million contract next season. And whatever the Lakers do with the roster in the offseason, Dončić will have a say.
“That’s an ongoing collaborative process,” Pelinka said of working with Dončić. “It’s not, hey, I want x, y and z. We’re in constant communication with him and his team. …
“We’re gonna get together, I think on Friday or Saturday. Ongoing dialogue. He’s an incredible partner. His basketball IQ on the court is something we get to see. … JJ and I get to see his basketball knowledge in terms of other players in the league and the way he wants to play and who he wants to play with.”
Will the Lakers run it back with their core next season? (Gina Ferazzi via Getty Images)
Pelinka made sure to clarify that he’s not handing the front office keys to Dončić.
“He also does it in a way where he wants to do his job great and he wants to let JJ do his job great and let me do my job great,” Pelinka continued.
As for who Dončić plays with next season, Pelinka said he’d like for James and Reaves to join him after the trio led the Lakers to the No. 4 seed in the West this season.
Lakers ‘would love to have LeBron James’ back
James, 41, said after Monday’s loss that he doesn’t know about his basketball future and that he’ll spend time with his family to decide if he wants to play a 24th NBA season. James is a pending free agent, and his future, if he does return, could be with a team that’s not the Lakers.
Pelinka said Tuesday that the Lakers will work on James’ timeframe with his decision-making process — and that they’d “love” to have him back.
“I think the first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs to decide what his next steps are,” Pelinka said. “Does he want to play another year in the NBA? …
“Of course any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster.”
Pelinka: Reaves ‘wants his journey to continue as a Laker’
Reaves has a player option on the final year of his contract and will be due a significant pay raise from his $13.5 million average salary on the heels of a pair of breakout seasons.
Pelinka said that retaining Reaves will be a priority. And according to Pelinka, the feeling is mutual.
“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way.
“We want his odyssey to continue here in purple and gold. …. I think both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where he continues his prolific career here.”
