Lakerholics

Rather than chasing older max-contract third superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to target younger, more affordable, two-way stars with the upside to become superstars with bigger roles on a better team.

Targeting a player in their mid-twenties earning less than $25 million per year will cost major draft capital but leave the Lakers with the matching salaries and space below second tax apron to build a deep, diverse roster. The new CBA with its second luxury tax apron and new unprecedented financial and competitive penalties has made it almost impossible to build championship caliber rosters if paying max salaries to three superstars.

The Lakers have refused in the past to trade first round picks for elite role players like Myles Turner and Dejounte Murray, preferring instead to save those picks to trade for superstars like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook.
The time’s now come for the Lakers to change that strategy. They learned firsthand how trading first round draft picks for elite role players instead of superstars has transformed Celtics, Nuggets, and Mavs into contenders.

The Lakers must see that the NBA is undergoing a changing of the guard with younger stars and teams taking over from older stars and teams and an evolution of the game where size, length, and athleticism dominate.
The Lakers need a roster building strategy that targets rising stars who could function as the team’s third star for the next two or three years and take over as AD’s co-superstar when LeBron James retires from the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers portfolio of available trading chips is their best in years and includes their 2024, 2029, and 2031 first round draft picks, 2026, 2028, and 2030 first round pick swaps, and five second round draft picks.
Ideally, the Lakers would keep the #17 pick in the draft for a backup center and then use draft capital to trade for two of these four young affordable two-way prospects without giving up Austin Reaves or Max Christie.

Here are four affordable young two-way stars with superstar upside who are 26 or 27 years old, earn between $17 to $25 million per year, and are available for right trade package of matching salaries and draft capital.

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1. Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen, PF, 7′ 0″, 240 lbs, 27-years old, 1-yr @ $18.0M
23.2/8.2/2.0 on 16.2/8.0/5.0 shooting 48.0/39.9/89.9% in 33.1 mpg

27-year old Lauri Markkanen should be at the top of the Lakers’ offseason trade target board as he is the perfect third superstar to complement James and Davis and pair with Davis when James retires in two or three years.

Markannen’s elite size, length, athleticism, and volume 3-point shooting would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup and half-court offense into a juggernaut. He shot a sizzling 39.9% from deep on 8.0 attempts per game.
Besides giving the Lakers a desperately needed volume 3-point shooter, Markkanen also enables L.A. to double down on dominating points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made while becoming competitive on 3-pointers.

Reports indicate the Jazz are likely looking to trade rather than re-sign the 27-year old Markkanen provided they get a significant offer for the Finnish star. Lauri’s in the final year of his contract and will be due for a big raise.
The offer to get the Jazz to trade Markkanen to the Lakers would include Rui Hachimura, unprotected 2029 first round pick, unprotected 2028 first round pick swap, and remove 1–4 protection from 2027 first round pick.

This trade would essentially give Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz 3 straight years of totally unprotected rights to the Los Angeles Lakers’ post LeBron James first round draft picks for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 NBA seasons.
Hopefully, that’s the kind of offer that could motivate Danny Ainge to trade Lauri Markkanen to the Lakers. It leverages the top-four protected 2027 first round draft pick Los Angeles previously traded to Utah last year.

The Lakers top offseason trade target should be the Utah Jazz’ Lauri Markkanen, whom would immediately and dramatically upgrade our starting lineup and roster to legitimate championship caliber.

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2. DeJounte Murray

Dejounte Murray, SG, 6′ 5″, 180 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
22.5/5.3/6.4 on 18.8/7.1/3.4 shooting 45.9/36.3/79.4% in 35.7 mpg

26-year old combo guard Dejounte Murray should be second on the Lakers’ offseason trade target big board as he is the perfect two-way third star to upgrade the team’s backcourt and complement superstars James and Davis.

While the Lakers had an interest in trading for Dejounte Murray last season, they were unwilling to include draft picks as compensation. In retrospect, Dejounte enjoyed a clutch breakout season with the Hawks.
Murray showcased his two-way skillsets last season, averaging over 20 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists per game while sharing backcourt duties with Young and shooting 36.3% from deep on 7.1 attempts per game.

The pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has not worked for the Hawks. Recent reports indicate the Hawks are likely to keep Trae Young and their #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft and trade Dejounte Murray.
That’s great news for the Lakers. Trading for Dejounte, who makes $25.4 million per year, would let them build a deeper, more diverse roster than trading for Trae, whose $43.0 million annual salary would hobble them.

The Lakers know Russell and Reaves are not good enough defensively to succeed as a championship backcourt but both are still valuable rotation players who would be hard to replace. The smarter move is keep both.
If the Lakers can trade for Dejounte Murray, they should pair him with D’Angelo Russell while moving Austin Reaves to the bench. The Lakers would then have the elite volume 3-point shooting backcourt they need.

The Lakers should send Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, unprotected 2031 first round pick, and 2030 first round pick swap to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray to become their third star next to superstars James and Davis.

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3. Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac, PF, 6′ 10″, 230 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
6.8/4.5/0.5 on 4.9/1.9/1.4 shooting 51.0/37.5/77.1% in 15.8 mpg

26-year old Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ on the Lakers offseason trade target big board. Unlike Markkanen and Murray, Jonathan Isaac has such a rough injury history he should be easily acquired with the right offer.

While health makes Isaac’s floor dangerously low, Jonathan has such a high ceiling and is such a perfect fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis that the Lakers should seriously consider trading with Orlando to get him.
Isaac is without question the best two-way player of the four candidates. Defensively, he is the closest thing to an Anthony Davis clone you can find. He can protect the rim and defend all five positions at all three levels.

What makes the Boston Celtics so tough is that they have five guys on offense who can shoot the three and five guys on defense who can switch everything. This is the ultimate extension of positionless basketball.
While the Lakers would need assurances from their medical staff that Isaac is fully recovered, he is the kind of young, affordable two-way star who can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and switch out on the perimeter.

Orlando is so stacked with talent that there may no longer be a place for the now healthy and uber talented Jonathan Isaac despite the Magic sticking with him through three complete straight seasons lost to major injuries.
The $17.4 million final year salary of Isaac’s contract is not guaranteed. The Lakers should offer a package of Rui Hachimura and a top-four protected 2029 first round draft pick to the Magic for the 26-year old Jonathan Isaac.

Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ option among these four young affordable stars who could become superstars on Lakers as he has a lower floor but a higher ceiling and may be more attainable than Markkanen or Murray.

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4. Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges, SF, 6′ 6″, 209 lbs, 27-years old, 2-yrs @ $23.3M
19.6/4.5/3.6 on 15.8/7.2/3.9 shooting 43.6/37.2/81.4% in 34.8 mpg

Mikal Bridges is the last and probably the hardest of the four affordable young stars for the Lakers to trade for. Recent rumors indicate that the Nets may prefer to keep Bridges and find a second star to pair with him.

The prototype 3&D wing that every NBA team covets, Bridges will likely draw more interest than even Markannen and Murray and will certainly require multiple picks and swaps for a team to pry him away from Nets.
Bridges is a long shot for the Lakers. His greatest advantage is he is a true small forward, which would mean Anthony Davis would play center while LeBron James would be able to play his preferred power forward position.

The Lakers desperately need a bigger point-of-attack defender who can guard the 6′ 7″ to 6′ 10″ wing scorers every team in the West seems to have. Lakers need to stop trying to defend these scorers with smaller guards.
Lakers fans are tired of watching bigger wing scorers taking smaller Lakers shooting guards into the paint and easily shooting over them with easy midrange jump shots. That’s why the Lakers need somebody like Bridges.

One of the major decisions the Lakers need to make when rebuilding their starting lineup going forward is who plays power forward. If the Lakers opt to start two-bigs, then Davis or the second big will play power forward.
The problem with that scenario is that it forces LeBron James to play small forward, which often involves chasing bigger wing scorers around multiple screens and picks, not what you want your 40-year old superstar doing.

Mikal Bridges would be a great fit as the Lakers starting small forward as he would allow Anthony Davis and LeBron James to play the 5 and 4 though they’re still a longshot to trade for him due to heavy competition.

Despite tormenting moments of sorrow and angst, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of a momentous franchise-defining move as they prepare to hire J.J. Redick to be their head coach of the future and next Pat Riley.

After a dismal season that ended in the Lakers’ disappointing first round ‘gentlemen’s sweep’ by the Nuggets, Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka fired Darvin Ham and announced they were looking for their next legacy coach.
Two months earlier, when it was starting to become obvious to everybody that he was not happy with Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham, LeBron James started a podcast called ‘Mind the Game’ with none other than JJ Redick.

LeBron said he started the podcast with JJ Redick because he was tired of the overdone ‘barbershop debate’ approach to sports shows and wanted to teach the NBA’s fans “what the game of basketball really, truly means.”
The irony that the ‘Mind the Game’ podcasts served to display to the NBA and the Lakers’ front office just how ready JJ Redick was to become a head coach has not been missed. Just a coincidence or LeBron James LeGM?

Brian Windhorst recently said JJ Redick’s podcasts with LeBron James were essentially interviews for the Lakers job as well as a confirmation from the King should the Lakers decide to hire him as their next new head coach.
“They’ve extensively broken down the Lakers’ offense, extensively broken down what they do. It’s been out there for the whole world to hear, including the Lakers’ front office.” No wonder, L.A. zeroed in on Redick.

While LeBron has denied being involved in the Lakers’ decision to hire a new head coach, there’s no question he’s made sure everyone knew he thought JJ was a true basketball savant and potential great head coach.
But to his credit, Bron didn’t hesitate to text Dan Hurley and let him know he was not leaving L.A. and would love to have him as the Lakers’ next head coach. Bron’s likes to exert his influence without picking a favorite.

While the Lakers job scares many, JJ’s embraced the challenge and loves the opportunity to become the team’s next great head coach. Here are five reasons why JJ Redick is the right pick as L.A.’s head coach of the future.

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1. Redick Is Only Candidate With Legacy Potential

Despite being turned down by NCAA championship coach Danny Hurley, the Lakers’ primary goal is still to find the franchise’s next great head coach to build a modern championship identity and culture in the new NBA.

J.J. Redick is the only candidate for the Lakers’ head coach position who possesses the charisma, leadership, and basketball intelligence to become the franchise’s next legacy coach in the mold of Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.
Once Danny Hurley declined their offer, the Lakers immediately turned back to JJ Redick instead of James Borrego or any of the available NBA assistants like the Nuggets’ David Adelman or Timberwolves’ Micah Nori.

Whether you believe he was a gift from the basketball gods or the result of a grand scheme by LeBron James, JJ Redick is the Lakers only candidate who has the star power or basketball mind of a Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.

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2. The NBA Is Undergoing a Changing of the Guard

There’s no question the NBA’s undergoing a changing of the guard where older players, coaches, and teams are being replaced by younger players, coaches, and teams. This is not your father’s or grandfather’s NBA.

The Lakers have prioritized player development as a main focus of their new head coach. Just three years away from playing in the league, JJ has the elite communication skills to get young players to buy into his system.
Hiring a 39-year old recently-retired former player like Redick, who since transformed himself into a respected basketball analyst and podcaster, is a smart and savvy way to connect to the new generation of NBA players.

It helps when you’re from the same generation and speak same language. Building a championship identity and culture starts with hiring a head coach like JJ who can command respect and win the support of the players.

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3. Former Players Have Advantages As Head Coaches

The Lakers dodged a serious bullet when Danny Hurley declined their offer because his having never played or coached in the NBA was likely a greater handicap than JJ Redick’s having never coached other than at youth level.

While having played in the league is not a requirement to become a good or great head coach, there’s no question it’s a clear major advantage JJ Redick has over Danny Hurley, James Borrego, David Adelman, and Micah Nori.
The coaching transition from college to the NBA has proven to be difficult because the players are rich men and not college kids and the transition from assistant to head coach requires a completely different set of talents.

JJ Redick’s experience as an NBA player and analyst/podcaster gives him clear advantages over candidates who never played in the league. Former players are more easily accepted and better understand roster dynamics.

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4. Redick Will Embrace NBA 3-Point Revolution

Hiring a head coach who built his brand as a volume 3-point sniper is the best way to guarantee the Lakers will fully embrace the 3-point revolution that’s transformed how basketball games are played and won in the NBA.

The Lakers ranked 27th out of 30 NBA teams by averaging just 31.4 3-point attempts per game last season. Despite the 8th best average of 37.7%, the Lakers still only finished 24th with only 11.8 made 3-pointers per game.
The teams in the finals — the Celtics and Mavericks — finished 1st and 3rd in made 3-pointers per game with 16.5 and 14.8 respectively, which means they score 14.1 or 9.0 more points per game from deep than the Lakers.

JJ Redick understands that the Lakers need to take between 35 to 40 threes per game to be competitive in the modern NBA. Under Redick, the Lakers will finally run plays and try to add players who can take and make threes.

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5. Redick Is Built For the Bright Lights of L.A.

JJ Redick’s 3-year career as an NBA analyst and professional podcaster makes him uniquely qualified to be deal with the scorching press, media spotlight, and bright lights that come with the Lakers’ head coaching job.

From his role as part of ESPN’s Finals crew to his ‘Mind the Game’ podcasts with LeBron James and his Old Man and the Three podcasts, JJ has shown he has the charisma, quick intelligence, and charm to manage the media.
As we saw with Darvin Ham and previous Lakers coaches, being able to hold your own in post game pressers is critical. The Lakers’ press can smell blood in the water like hungry sharks. Having a media pro like JJ is a plus.

Unlike Danny Hurley, JJ Redick has not wavered in his desire and belief that he can be the Lakers’ next great head coach. Like Kobe said, it takes a certain kind of person to embrace the L.A. experience. JJ is built for L.A.

Looking to upgrade starters and role players rather than chasing a third superstar and realizing teams aren’t valuing picks in this draft, the Lakers would be smart to use the #17 pick to draft a modern two-way center.

The modern two-way center the Lakers need is a big man who can be a difference maker at both ends of the court, who can score, defend, and rebound the basketball outside the arc, in the paint, and at the rim.
Anybody watching the NBA playoffs knows that today’s NBA prototype big is a tall, long, and fast player whose size, length, speed, and athleticism bullies opposing players and shrinks the size of the basketball court.

While the 2024 NBA draft is considered to be one of the weakest in years, it ironically is stocked with four big men projected to be drafted between #12 and #25 who would be great fits as modern two-way centers for the Lakers.
With a draft day deal to trade for a third superstar looking unlikely, the Lakers should view the #17 pick in the draft as a unique opportunity to fill one of three main needs by drafting a young modern two-way center.

The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals partly due to their decision to tank last summer so they could draft 7-foot rookie center sensation Dereck Lively, who started and was selected to second-team All-NBA Rookie Team.
The Lakers have hopefully learned they need to spend resources to find quality backup for superstar Anthony Davis, both to limit AD’s wear-and-tear and minutes as well as provide insurance against any possible injury.

This is the second straight season the Lakers had the #17 pick in the draft. Last season, they chose guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, passing on better prospects like Jaime Jaquez, Brandin Podziemski, and Cam Whitmore.
Hood-Schifino was a disappointment as the #17 pick in the draft, which has historically included quality NBA star players like Donte DiVincenzo, Jrue Holiday, Trey Murphy III, Dennis Schroder, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Since there also aren’t any obvious affordable modern center solutions in free agency, the chance to add the 17th best player in even this draft to fill a position of exceptional need is an opportunity the Lakers cannot let pass.
Unless a superstar suddenly appears on the market and demands to be traded to L.A., the Lakers best option will be to upgrade the starters next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis with an elite modern two-way center.

Here are four elite modern two-way center prospects who would be great fits on the Lakers either starting alongside Anthony Davis in a two-bigs lineup and/or coming off the bench to back up AD when he needs rest.

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1. DaRon Holmes

DaRon Holmes, 6′ 10″ w 7′ 1″ wingspan, 235 lbs, 21-yrs old
20.4/8.5/2.6/2.1/0.9 while shooting 54.4/38.6/671.3%

NBA Comparison: NAZ REID

DaRon Holmes fits the rangy, long, athletic big man mold that’s sweeping the league these playoffs and is especially intriguing right now because of rumors he’s been promised a first round pick by an unknown NBA team.

Holmes has been rising on many mock draft boards with comparisons to Naz Reid as a mobile big who can score and defend at all three levels. DaRon’s an explosive leaper and elite shot blocker who’s quick off his feet.
His 3-point shooting took a huge leap from his first two years which is worrisome since his free throw shooting did not. The other concern about Holmes is the mediocre level of competition he faced playing at Dayton.

Holmes may be the smartest of the four modern center prospects. He’s got a great engine, great hands, always hustles, always makes the right play. There are several drafts that have him being drafted before the other three.
Holmes’ big strength may be his switchability. Of the four centers, he is the best at switching out and defending smaller players on the perimeter. That’s something that sets him apart defensively from the other candidates.

DaRon Holmes may be relatively unknown but could end up being the best of the four modern two-way center candidates the Lakers are considering because of his explosive leaping, elite athleticism, and high basketball IQ.

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2. Kel’el Ware

Kel’el Ware, 7′ 0″ w 7′ 4″ wingspan, 242 lbs, 20-yrs old
15.9/9.9/1.5/1.9/0.6 while shooting 58.6/42.5/63.4%

NBA Comparison: MYLES TURNER

Kel’el Ware could be the perfect modern two-way center for the Lakers as he has the raw physical skills of Myles Turner, a player L.A. has almost traded for several times and who’s the prototype modern two-way center.

Ware’s not the finished product but he’s got freakish athletic potential that gives him a giant upside. He’s going to take longer to develop but could easily have a higher ceiling as a player than the other three older centers.
Ware will need consistent team patience and good player development coaching to reach his potential but he’s already shown the best 3-point shooting stats of the four candidates, although on a small sample size.

Predicting where these four candidates are going to actually be drafted is more of an art than science. There are mock drafts favoring each center. The Ringer’s mock draft, for example, has Ware going as the 17th pick.
But there are reputable mock drafts that have Filipowski going first among the four and other drafts where it’s Edey, Ware, or Holmes going first. There are no drafts were all four of these centers are gone by #17.

If DaRon Holmes isn’t available, the Lakers should not have any qualms turning to Kel’el Ware as he could easily turn out to be the best of the four modern two-way center candidates being considered in the long run.

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3. Kyle Filipowski

Kyle Filipowski, 7′ 0″ w 6′ 10″ wingspan, 248 lbs, 20-yrs old
16.4/8.3/2.8/1.5/1.1 while shooting 50.3/34.8/64.1%

NBA Comparison: KELLY OLYNYK

Kyle Filipowski could be the best fit of the candidates for a modern two-way center because of his proven ability to stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, protect the rim with shot blocking, and make plays for others.

Filipowski has everything the Lakers want from an immediate backup center or from a potential starter to play alongside Anthony Davis. Kyle has all the legitimate modern two-way center skills the Lakers have coveted.
Of the four modern center candidates, Filipowski is the most versatile. Besides excellent 3-point shooting and solid rim protection, he’s the best playmaker of the group and is capable of playing the point center role.

The Lakers are rightfully focused on optimizing Anthony Davis as the face and future of the franchise. Kyle Filipowski is clearly an excellent fit as a modern two-way center who can both complement and enhance AD.
It’s no secret that Anthony Davis prefers to play the four rather than the five, that the Lakers are a better when playing two bigs, or that the league is transitioning to a bigger, longer, and more physical version of basketball.

If DaRon Holmes and Kel’el Ware are not available, the Lakers should pick Kyle Filipowski at #17 because he’s the most ready, polished, versatile, and well-rounded of the four center candidates and great fit for Anthony Davis.

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4. Zach Edey

Zach Edey, 7′ 4″ w 7′ 10″ wingspan, 300 lbs, 22-yrs old
25.2/12.2/2.0/2.2/0.3 while shooting 62.3/50.0/71.1%

NBA Comparison: BROOK LOPEZ

Choosing Zach Edey with their #17 pick would be a high-risk-high-reward move by the Lakers due to questions about his ability to defend in space and not be played off the floor by teams targeting him in pick-and-rolls.

On the positive side, however, Edey’s elite size, length, and physicality could be difference-makers as few teams have personnel to defend a player of his stature. He can almost dunk and block shots standing flat footed.
The biggest issue about Edey is teams will game plan how to force him off the court. The NBA trend today is the now possible dream of a positionless fivesome of tall, long, fast, and athletic players who can switch everything.

While Edey only made one out of two attempted 3-point shots last season, he did shoot 71.1% on an of 11.2 free throw attempts per game and showed promising ability to stretch the court with threes at the draft combine.
His ability to draw fouls and make 8 free throws per game also fits perfectly into the Lakers overall game strategy. They want to dominate points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made and Zach Edey fits that strategy perfectly.

If the win-now Lakers want to double down on size and length at both ends of the court, then they could draft 7′ 4″ center Zach Edey with the #17 pick to rack up points in the paint and protect the rim as their backup center.

Listening to LeBron James and JJ Redick rave about how two superstars and a deep and diverse roster of elite roleplayers who are stars in their own roles is the blueprint to win an NBA championship is music to my ears.

Hearing that your 39-year old superstar and 39-year old future head coach are in complete agreement about the best balance between superstars and elite roleplayers when it comes to winning championships is great news.
While the Lakers need to acquire a replacement for LeBron James at some point in time, it’s reassuring that James and Redick are fans of the two-superstars-and-deep-roster model rather than the three-superstars model.

While their front office believes the team underperformed due to injuries and the coaching situation, it’s obvious the Lakers are two or three players away from being able to compete with the four remaining playoff teams.
The Lakers desperately need a legitimate point-of-attack guard who can hound opposing ball handlers, bigger wing who can drain threes and guard scorers, and backup center who can stretch the court and protect the rim.

Realistically, it’s nearly impossible under the current CBA for an NBA team to pay maximum salaries to three superstars and still be able to build a starting lineup and roster deep and diverse enough to win a championship.
While they’ll still chase superstars like Donovan Mitchell and Dejounte Murray, the Lakers would be wiser to use their trade assets for a legit POA guard, bigger 3&D wing, and backup center instead of third superstar.

Here are the five bold and savvy moves the Los Angeles Lakers should make this summer to upgrade their starting lineup, expand defensive depth and diversity, and transform the team from chumps to champs.

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1. Hire JJ Redick

The first bold and savvy move the Lakers need to make this summer to transform themselves from chumps to champs is to shoot for the moon and hire inexperienced 39-year old JJ Redick to be the team’s next head coach.

Frankly, the Lakers have all but officially committed to Redick as their next head coach. It would be hard at this point not to hire JJ after publicly saying they’re looking for a superstar coach and then comparing Redick to Riley.
While Pelinka’s job has up to now been protected by Kobe Bryant’s ghost, Rob knows this will likely be his last attempt as general manager to find a long-term head coach who could recreate the success of Riley and Jackson.

Rob Pelinka knows his future and legacy as GM will depend on whom he chooses to be the Lakers’ next head coach. the Lakers desperately need coaching stability after firing three straight coaches over the last 7 years.
They need a superstar coach, a Steve Kerr or Eric Spoelstra, Pat Riley or Phil Jackson, a generational head coach with a transformational vision that values thinking outside-the box and building a championship culture.

The NBA is in the midst of a major transition of best the stars and teams. Bottom line, the Lakers clearly need to modernize their approach to the game, get bigger, longer, more athletic, and shoot a lot more threes.
The good news is the Lakers know how important it is to find the team’s next Pat Riley or Phil Jackson. They’ve also committed to spend whatever’s necessary to provide JJ Redick with an elite experienced coaching staff.

The Lakers desperately need a smart, young, visionary head coach like JJ Redick who can help recreate the winning identity and culture of the Riley and Jackson reigns and catapult L.A. into another championship dynasty.

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2. Re-Sign D’Angelo Russell

The second bold and savvy move the Lakers should make this offseason to transform themselves into legitimate contenders is re-sign D’Angelo Russell as their starting point guard as he is simply too valuable to lose for nothing.

Even if there were an available replacement, the last thing L.A. needs right now is to add new starting point guard to a list of roster needs that already includes POA defensive guard, big 3&D wing, and stretch backup center.
Frankly, short of trading for Trae Young, there are no reasonable available upgrades for D’Angelo Russell, which means the Lakers need to seriously consider re-signing DLO and strengthening the starting lineup around him.

Next to hiring a new head coach, deciding what to do with D’Angelo Russell is the Lakers second biggest offseason decision. The reality is that DLO was a major reason why the Lakers finished the regular season on a great run.
Russell essentially transformed himself midseason into the high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter that the Lakers have desperately needed the last three years and that’s an asset you can’t let walk away for nothing.

The ideal solution for the Lakers would be for D’Angelo Russell to accept his $18.7 million player option for the coming season and sign a new 3-year contract starting at $20 million per season with a 3rd year player option.
That would give DLO the long-term security he desires while allowing the Lakers to avoid losing him for nothing to free agency. It would also be a smart investment in a talented young player who is still just 28-years old.

The Lakers need to realize how valuable DLO’s volume 3-point shooting and elite playmaking are and that it would be wiser to re-sign him, surround him with better starters, and groom him to become an even better player.

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3. Trade For Marcus Smart

The third bold and savvy offseason move the Lakers need to make is trade for 30-year old shooting guard Marcus Smart to become the point-of-attack perimeter defender and ideal backcourt complement for D’Angelo Russell.

As the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year and a 3-time All-Defensive First Team winner, Marcus Smart would be the perfect point-of-attack alpha dog perimeter defender to pair with offense first point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Smart would give the Lakers the lock-down defender they need to guard the high scoring guards in the West like Devin Booker, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

An elite point-of-attack guard is one of the Lakers’ greatest needs heading into next season and a critical one if L.A. wants to retain D’Angelo Russell’s high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting and top-flight playmaking.
A backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Marcus Smart would give the Lakers a dynamic and diverse duo with outstanding size, length, and athleticism who can shoot, defend, rebound, and playmake at a championship level.

The Memphis Grizzlies gave up backup point guard Tyus Jones, recently drafted rookie Marcus Sasser, and a future first round pick to acquire Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics in a 3-team trade last summer.
Trading for Smart will cost the Lakers valuable draft capital in the form of their unprotected 2029 first round pick, unprotected 2030 first round pick swap, and matching salaries of Vincent, Reddish, and Hood-Schifino.

Marcus Smart would give the Lakers the elite defensive stopper needed to be a legit championship contender and the perfect backcourt mate needed complement and support elite offense-first point guard D’Angelo Russell.

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4. Trade For Jonathan Isaac

The fourth bold and savvy move the Los Angeles Lakers need to make this summer is trading for mercurial 26-year old Magic forward Jonathan Isaac who would become the team’s bigger 3&D forward to guard wing scorers.

At 6′ 10″ and 230 lbs, Jonathan Isaac has the elite physical size, length, and athleticism to play all three front court positions. Ideally, he would start at the three so LeBron James could play the four and Anthony Davis the five.
Like Rui Hachimura, Isaac is an elite offensive player who can stretch the court with his 3-point shooting. Unlike Rui, Jonathan is also an elite shot blocker, rebounder, and individual defender who can guard all 5 positions.

The beauty of the Lakers acquiring Jonathan Isaac is the offensive and defensive versatility he brings to L.A.’s starting lineup. He legitimately has the potential to become the Lakers’ third superstar and replace LeBron.
But trading for Isaac would be a huge gamble since he only played in 11 games in three seasons before getting healthy and playing in 58 games this season. The lure is he’s still only 26 and now appears to be fully healthy.

The Magic have a tough decision to make this summer as Isaac has a non-guaranteed contract for $17.4 million for next season. Considering his horrible injury history, Jonathan’s stint with Orlando could well be over.
Orlando desperately needs 3-point shooters and Los Angeles’ trade offer of Hachimura and their 2031 unprotected first round pick could be enough to motivate the Magic to guarantee Isaac and trade him to the Lakers.

In many ways, Jonathan Isaac is maybe the closest thing to a clone of Anthony Davis the Lakers could find anywhere in the league. He’s the perfect front court complement for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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5. Draft Kyle Filipowski

The fifth bold, savvy move the Lakers should make this summer is draft 20-year Kyle Filipowski, who can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting and protect the rim with his shot blocking, to become their backup center.

After struggling during his freshman year, Filipowski enjoyed a better sophomore year at Duke, averaging an improved 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 30.4 minutes per game.
At 7′ 0″ and 250 lbs, Filipowski is an excellent modern two-way center who can contribute to winning at both ends of the court. What separates Kyle from other college center prospects is his elite 3-point shooting stroke.

With a dramatically improved starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Marcus Smart, Jonathan Isaac, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, Kyle Filipowski is the last piece of creating a bench that can backup every starting position.
The Lakers backups would include Austin Reaves at the one, Max Christie at the two, Jarred Vanderbilt at the three, Christian Wood at the four, and Kyle Filipowski at the five. That’s a very deep and diverse 10-man rotation.

The Lakers were smart to use draft capital for a new POA starting guard in Marcus Smart, new starting bigger 3&D wing defender in Jonathan Smart, and new modern backup center in Kyle Filipowski rather than a third star.
Financially, looking to upgrade the starting lineup rather than pursuing a third superstar gives the Lakers far more cap flexibility and options to build a legitimate championship roster than if they opted for three superstars.

Drafting Kyle Filipowski with the #17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is the Lakers’ best opportunity to find a quality big man who can be a dangerous 3-point shooter and elite rim protector when Anthony Davis rests.

Unless another candidate wows them, the Los Angeles Lakers are hurtling towards hiring J.J. Redick to be the franchise’s next head coach despite his never having coached a basketball team other than his son’s AAU team.

While hiring a head coach who’s never even been an assistant seems like a risky move, it’s not unprecedented and has happened before, in 2014 when the Warriors hired Steve Kerr and in 2020 when the Nets hired Steve Nash.
Part of the Lakers’ infatuation with J.J. Redick is the hope he could become their version of Steve Kerr, a smart, savvy, former clutch player and rising media star who could grow into the team’s next Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.

Of course, the downside of hiring a head coach with zero experience is what happened to the Brooklyn Nets who hired Steve Nash to be their head coach in 2020 despite his never having even been an assistant coach.
Nash was fired by the Nets after three years because he lost the confidence of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Being one of the greatest point guards ever didn’t translate into Steve Nash being a successful head coach.

Like Magic Johnson and many former superstar players, Steve Nash found coaching in the NBA after a long career as a superstar more challenging for him than for former role players like Steve Kerr and hopefully J.J. Redick.
Kerr was 49 when he got his first head coaching job with the Warriors and Nash was 46 when first hired by the Nets. Redick is 39-years old right now, having retired as a player in 2021 to be a successful analyst and podcaster.

Should Lakers’ hire J.J. Redick as head coach, there are three reasons why his ceiling as a former player with zero coaching experience is Steve Kerr, who won 5 championships, and not Steve Nash, who bombed in Brooklyn.
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Superstar Management

The first reason J.J. Redick’s coaching ceiling should be Steve Kerr and not Steve Nash is his proven ability to earn respect and build strong personal relationships with superstar players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Redick has already shown through his media work on ‘The Old Man and the Three’ podcasts with Tommy Alter and his recent highly acclaimed ‘Mind the Game’ podcasts with LeBron James that he’s a rising media star.
These podcasts have showcased the 39-year old Redick as one of best young basketball minds in the game and catapulted him as the early favorite to be the Lakers’ next great head coach in the mold of Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.

The biggest challenge for rookie coaches is being able to command respect of the players, especially the superstars. It’s obviously easier if the new coach was a former player or had head or assistant coaching experience.
It’s also easier if the superstar you’re going to have to coach happens to be your podcast partner. All J.J. has to do now is win Anthony Davis over to make up for recently leaving him off his list of the 20 best defenders.

Finally, earning respect and developing relationships with superstars is easier for coaches who were role players rather than superstars. Steve Kerr and Steve Nash are good examples of great and poor superstar managers.
Redick was an elite role player like Kerr, whose superstar management led to five championships. Nash was a legitimate superstar who was fired because he lost the trust of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

J.J. Redick’s podcast partnership with LeBron James is solid evidence that his coaching ceiling, when it comes to dealing with superstar players. will likely be more like the Warriors’ Steve Kerr than the Nets’ Steve Nash.
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Offensive Philosophy

The second reason J.J. Redick’s coaching ceiling is more Steve Kerr than Steve Nash is his commitment to new school offense embracing the 3-point shot and more ball and player movement vs old school isolation basketball.

Like the Warriors’ Steve Kerr, J.J. Redick is a ardent proponent of more organized ball and player movement on offense versus the ball dominant isolation basketball philosophies that ultimately cost Steve Nash his job.
Credit to the Lakers’ ownership and front office for bringing in Coach K to help determine exactly what they need in their next head coach and chart the best possible course to land their next Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.

Strategically, the Lakers face major decisions on the kind of team they want to build just as the league is undergoing a generational changing of the guard with younger teams and players replacing older teams and players.
The Lakers need to decide whether their top priority right now is finding a third superstar to help James and Davis win another championship and replace LeBron when he retires or fill multiple major holes in their roster.

Philosophically, Redick is exactly the kind outside-of-the-box thinker the Lakers need at this critical juncture with their future on the line. The Lakers need to get bigger in the front court and shoot a lot more threes.
The NBA is getting bigger, longer, and more athletic. The Lakers need a visionary head coach who can modernize their offense. The time may have come to abandon drop coverage and build a switch everything roster.

J.J. Redick has the high basketball IQ and modern offensive philosophy more aligned with that of the Warriors’ Steve Kerr than the heavy ball dominant isolation strategies on offense favored by the Nets’ Steve Nash.
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Communication Skills

The third reason J.J. Redick’s coaching ceiling is Steve Kerr not Steve Nash is the formidable communication skills that turned him into a rising media star and will enable him to smartly manage the media and locker room.

One of Redick’s strengths as a head coach will be his his personal ability to communicate with and develop critical relationships with the press corps and players that will determine his success as the Lakers’ next head coach.
Elite communication skills are one of the most important requirements to be a successful NBA head coach. Being able to properly answer questions from the media and players is a critical requirement of every head coach.

Media communication is one the areas of strength of Steve Kerr and one of the weaknesses of Steve Nash and Lakers’ former head coach Darvin Ham, both of whom struggled to answer questions from the media and players.
Being able to handle yourself in press conferences and in conversations with players is critical to developing trust and respect. Like Pat Riley, J.J.’s experience as a podcaster and ESPN analyst should be a big advantage.

Communication skills are essential to the success of NBA head coaches and setting and maintaining reasonable expectations for the team and the press corps builds trust and respect that are core foundations for relationships.
Like Steve Kerr, J.J. Redick clearly understands the intrinsic value of communication in building relationships, which is something that both Steve Nash and Darvin Ham never understood as a critical keys to success.

J.J. Redick has the elite communication skills to become the Lakers’ next great head coach ala Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. Communication skills are why his coaching ceiling is more like Steve Kerr than Steve Nash.