The Lakers no longer become the focus of offseason, Strength & physical training and center signing become the top priority

So far, for the Lakers, they have been in the offseason.

Chicago Report - A year ago, seats at the bar and tables near the coffee shop at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, as well as seats and passages at the adjacent Wintrust Stadium (WNBA Chicago Sky home court), were crowded with people, and everyone was speculating about what would happen to the Los Angeles Lakers next.

After losing to the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers fired head coach Darwin Hamm, and rumors were everywhere that the team had locked in commentator JJ Redick. Meanwhile, LeBron James, his wife Savanna and their security team stepped into the stands to watch Brownie James struggle to gain a place in the NBA draft.

They are a topic of conversation that people cannot avoid, and their status as the center of the NBA universe certainly annoys the other 29 teams, but they are indisputable.

However, this year, under the same roof, the Lakers are no longer the main focus. Earlier this year, when the Lakers traded Luca Doncic, they had already gone through their spotlight moments. The Lakers already have Redick as head coach, and Robert Pelinka has also been promoted and renewed early.

According to NBA standards, the Lakers' current operations are quite stable.

At the joint NBA draft trial held in Chicago last week, people have been hotly debated for the 2025 rookie led by Duke's Cooper Flagage. This certain potential star eliminates any suspense. Winning what many people call the craziest lottery draw in history can help the Dallas Mavericks make up for some of the reputation they lost when they trade Doncic to the Lakers.

As for Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks, there are many speculations. And if Kevin Durant's days with the Phoenix Suns end, where he's going will be highly watched. People have begun to speculate on how the Boston Celtics will handle a season without Jason Tatum and the resulting ripple effect.

But this is the Lakers, and there will always be things that will eventually break through the status quo.

When people wanted to gossip, they mentioned the Lakers' Strength and Fitness Trainer recruitment notice, which somehow became a clip from the ESPN show Get Up earlier last week. (According to people familiar with the matter, the Lakers usually post such recruitment information online on LinkedIn and TeamWork, which they did when they recruited assistant strength and fitness coaches last summer.)

Related reading: 👀 The Lakers recruit physical fitness trainers& annual salary of 200,000-250,000 USD. The method of demanding mobilization of training

This recruitment notice caught some people in Chicago off guard than anything else. "We will never post a recruitment like that," said a competitor team executive. Most have deviated from the main line, that is, the Lakers are working to rebuild their strength and fitness training program.

People familiar with the matter revealed to the Los Angeles Times that the Lakers parted ways with their strength coach Ed Stwright last week. Stratwright is popular with the Lakers, joining the team as an assistant strength coach in 2019 and being promoted in 2021.

However, after the season, Redick said he believes the team needs to reach "championship status" next season. The two biggest stars of the Lakers, like most players, have their own strength and medical teams. Whoever joins the Lakers’ working group will take on the heavy responsibility of helping the rest of the players, most notably Austin Reeves, who will be a free agent next summer and is expected to receive a significant salary increase.

A new sound in the gym can bring an impact to the team as the Lakers are working to improve physical training to different levels.

People, including Lakers' scouts and executives in Chicago, have spoken publicly about the team's demand for center position—a clear priority for Pelinka and Redick.

The Lakers said they were not interested in trading with Reeves unless they could get top inside players, and there is currently no such player to trade. In the early stages of the offseason, the two names most closely linked to the Lakers were Nicholas Clarkston of the Brooklyn Nets and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks.

Neither of these two players will be sure to join the Lakers for various reasons.

If you get Clarkston, the Lakers will have a typical frame-guarding and all-connected center, which is simply tailor-made for Doncic. Clarkston will earn more than $66 million in the next three seasons, and he has been away from his most influential period of his career for two years, when he averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, shooting at the league's highest 70.5%. In 70 games this season, these numbers have dropped to 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting 56.3% from the field.

An optimistic interpretation of this situation will point out that the Nets' continuous losses are the reason for Clarkston's data decline. Pessimists will point out Clarkston's problems: her thin physique (only 215 pounds, about 97 kg), two consecutive years of decline and a high salary.

We know that Gafford is definitely suitable for Doncic because of his experience in working with Doncic in the Mavericks. Gafford is about to enter his final year of contract, and in the Mavericks, he is on the same team with Derek Lefley II and Anthony Davis, which makes it unlikely that he will get more salary from the team.

Of course, the problem is that people inside the NBA are speculating what it would be like if Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison had another trade with Pelinka and the Lakers, because the last trade between the two teams was very unpopular and even sparked protests.

According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers' best assets (excluding Reeves) are their 2031 first-round draft pick, sophomore wing Dalton Kneckett and a bunch of expiring contracts. In any trade for center position, the Lakers must send out some of the above chips.

free agent choices, like mid-season trading options, are considered quite limited. Indiana Pacers center Miles Turner is about to become a free agent, but his salary level is already beyond the acceptable range of the Lakers even without considering that the Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Brooke Lopez is 37 years old. He played for the Lakers for a year before leaving there to play his best performances in other teams. Clint Capela could be an option depending on how the market reacts, but there is a question within the league whether he can still serve as a stable starter for a team. Jaxon Hayes, who started the Lakers this season, is also a free agent, but when the Lakers decided to put him on the bench in the playoffs, it was obvious that they had some doubts about him. It can be assumed that if this is an option, some internal relationships need to be reconstructed. One or two other possibilities may arise on draft night, depending on how each team evaluates the young big guys. Players like Duke’s Carman Maluach, even if a team already has center players, may consider them as a talent that cannot be missed, and this can create opportunities for a player to accidentally enter the trading market.

Apart from that, the Lakers are looking for what every NBA team is looking for - comprehensiveness, toughness, athleticism, and shooting ability.

The markets are slowly developing behind the scenes as agents meet with teams and teams start combing their offseason free agent roster after the lottery draw is confirmed. The Lakers are also doing all this work. But this time, this is not a topic that everyone is talking about.

Author: Dan Woike

Translator: GWayNe