The Lakers definitely need to make some changes for the 2026-27 season and Luka Doncic has pinpointed where this needs to happen.
Doncic will be at the forefront of the roster-building process, given he’s their star player and their future.
He recently spoke about the type of players he would like to be surrounded by on the Lakers during his European Jordan Brand tour.
“I think mainly shooters and a big man who can run the pick-and-roll and jump so I can pass to him. If I have shooters, they won’t double me as much and it helps me out,” he said, via Drafteados.
Luka has had great success with these kind of players in the past. A big man who can defend the rim, rebound and be a lob threat in pick-and-roll scenarios.
For example, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in Dallas were lethal with Luka.
Jaxson Hayes has also been a dangeous combo with the Lakers star.
Deandre Ayton not so much…
Former Lakers wing Danny Green is seemingly in agreement with Luka.
He spoke on radio about the caliber of players the purple and gold should be looking at this season.
“Defensive guys, right? Defense and shooters,” Green said on ESPN LA radio. “That’s no real secret or science to it. If you wanna have a great winning team, you need some superstars and you need a good quality big man that can rebound and some 3-and-D guys around him. If you can get that at a good price, you have a good chance of being successful and winning some championships.”
Two players that are already on the roster are free agents and are believed to be priorities for the Lakers to re-sign this offseason, Dan Woike of The Athletic says.
“The belief is that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes are players the Lakers would prioritize bringing back as they try to best fit a roster around Dončić,” he said. “And each piece of the puzzle the Lakers feel they need to add into their cap space takes up a slice that could go to James.”
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