How should the Lakers strengthen during the offseason? Stop dreaming of the Big Three, role players are the king!

In the 2025 offseason, the Lakers will stand at the crossroads of fate again.

The playoffs failed again and James grew older. Where should we go in the future? Many Humi fantasize that "big fish" are airborne, such as Antetokounmpo, Durant, and even another "big four". But calm down and think about it, is this really the path the Lakers should take?

The answer is obviously no.

Rivers' growth value cannot be underestimated

Rivers' performance this season can be said to be one of the biggest gains of the Lakers.

Average of 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game are not achieved - this is the result of taking real responsibility and not fully dominating the ball. Many fans only see the scores, but ignore the value behind it.

With Doncic coming next season (assuming this operation is really completed), Rivers may even be a scoring guard at the quasi-star level, and it is not a vain to average more than 24 points per game.

In this contract period, Rivers' salary is only $13 million, which is simply a "super asset among the poor". How many young people can find in the entire league with annual salary of tens of millions but with star potential? Using him to exchange for the first round pick is obviously a loss; on the other hand, Rivers now has a market value of at least two first round picks.

So it can be confirmed:

Rivers is one of the non-selling products of the Lakers, and trading him is a self-destruction of the Great Wall.

Who can leave? Who can change it? The Lakers' operation suggestions are released

At present, the "tradable chips" in the Lakers' lineup are roughly divided into three categories:

Mobile soldiers: Kneckett, Kleber, Van Debiao, Vincent;

Strategic resources: 2-3 first round picks in the next round;

High-risk assets: Russell (has reached a bottleneck), Hachimura (unstable), Reddish (marginal man), etc.

A young center

If you want to improve the ability to protect the frame and rebound in the penalty area, the Lakers must consider getting a young center who can eat, defend and have confrontation. The combination of Kneckett + Kleber can be completely packaged into a trading chip.

Centrals in the league currently have trading possibilities, such as: Durham of the

Pistons (low possibility, but room)

Jazz Kessler (good defense, but high asking price)

Magic Carter (reasonable contract structure)

Among them, Carter is a relatively ideal choice, with both a frame protection and a pick-and-roll cake, and his value is also reasonable.

The front line with both offense and defense

Use Van Debiao + Vincent and others to exchange for a No. 3-4 position with "large size, stable defense, and independent offensive ability", which is a necessary reinforcement direction.

A very realistic goal is Andrew Wiggins - "Brother Goji".

The Warriors are on the verge of reconstruction, and Wiggins is one of the easiest players on the team. Although his contract is expensive, the Lakers have room to match with Van Debiao + Vincent + second-round pick. Moreover, Wiggins' playoff-level defense + finishing ability is a puzzle that the Lakers' forward line is lacking.

Don't dream of Antetokounmpo and Durant again. Shouldn't the Lakers repeat the mistakes of the Suns? Don't even think about it!

First of all, if the Bucks really move towards the direction of "trading letters", they must be working towards reconstruction + bad luck. What do they need? First round + potential stocks. The biggest problem for the Lakers now is "first round scarcity" - in the past few years, the Lakers have overdrawn too many draft assets for Davis, Hachimura and Russell.

Use three first rounds to exchange Antetokounmpo? Maybe it's worth it, but the Lakers don't have so many first rounds anymore. What's more, trading Antetokounmpo means you have to hollow out your core lineup, James + Doncic (assuming it) + Antetokounmpo? What are you using as a supporting role? Could it be that I learned to use the Suns to make a "super three giants"?

Durant? The price of pile up superstars, the Sun has paid the tuition

The Sun is a lesson from the past. What is the result of a big bet on Durant + Booker + Bill?

The Western Conference Finals lineup was broken;

The first round pick was traded;

The substitutes were rotated in a mess;

The ended up not even making the playoffs.

Don't forget that in order to form the Big Three, the Suns gave Bridges, Cameron Johnson, multiple first-round draft picks, and even the coaching staff lost four sets - and the final outcome was that Bill was injured, Durant, and Booker was tired. If the Lakers really go this path, they will only become the "next sun".

Moreover, Durant is already 36 years old, not only has the decline in his condition, but also has the right to veto the transaction. He designated the next home and refused to like the place he didn't like. Once the Lakers are stuck, they will wait for the loss to clear their position.

Future trend: There will be no dynasty in the league, and upgrading the role is the championship path

New Labor Agreement + salary cap increase means that there will be no dynasty in the next five years, and even two consecutive championships will become a luxury. If the team wants to maintain competitiveness, they can only rely on "reasonable matching + strong rotation + flexible space". The golden age of the Big Three is over. Nowadays, the team that really goes far depends on "eight people can fight", not "three people can kill".

Look at the Nuggets and Celtics, which one does not rely on role players:

Bruce Brown, Gordon, Pope of the Nuggets; White, Holiday, and Hauser of the Celtics;

What the Lakers should learn is their "steady and upgrade their roles" rather than "castles in the air and bet on their lives desperately".

The Lakers cannot make the Suns' mistake again, don't be obscured by fame

Lakers management must recognize the reality:

The first championship is already the limit goal of the existing lineup.

There is no first round, not much young assets, only one James who has entered dusk, and Thick Brows who are constantly injured. If you bet on Durant and Antetokounmpo, the result will not be a rise, but a loss in the whole game.

Don't be covered by fame. Basketball is a collective project, and it is not about how many MVPs you have, but how many reliable role players you have can stand firm in the playoffs.

The Lakers' wisest choice is to improve rotation, upgrade corners, and reuse young talents.

Big star? Don’t blame the last mess, the future is gone.