{"id":85800,"date":"2025-08-05T01:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T01:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=85800"},"modified":"2025-08-05T01:55:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T01:55:07","slug":"breaking-1-final-move-los-angeles-lakers-must-make-to-complete-2025-nba-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=85800","title":{"rendered":"Breaking!! 1 final move Los Angeles Lakers must make to complete 2025 NBA offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Lakers may have one more trade to pull off so they could maximize their title odds for the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Lakers'<\/figure>\n
This offseason has been a rather eventful one for the\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers. And they may not be done making moves yet.Now that they’ve received extra security for their future after\u00a0Luka Doncic decided to sign a three-year, $165 million extension\u00a0to stay until at least the 2027-28 season, they could very well be more aggressive when it comes to making moves \u2014 especially with\u00a0LeBron James putting so much pressure on the team to turn the team into a surefire championship contender.<\/p>\n

At the very least, the Lakers can rest a bit easier knowing that they filled their biggest need heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n

They badly needed a new starting center after finishing the 2024-25 campaign with the overmatched Jaxson Hayes in the starting lineup, and they got Deandre Ayton at such a bargain contract that it’s difficult to rag them for bringing him in \u2014 punctuality and attitude concerns notwithstanding.<\/p>\n

And then the\u00a0Lakers also brought Marcus Smart in\u00a0from the buyout market, although they did lose Jordan Goodwin, a bundle of energy and a hustle guy off the bench, in the process.<\/p>\n

Smart has been ridiculously injury-prone over the past few years, but he did win the Defensive Player of the Year award just three years ago \u2014 so he’s a worthwhile, if risky, flier.<\/p>\n

As presently, constructed, however, the\u00a0Lakers may not have enough to win a title.<\/p>\n

Doncic and James are two of the greatest postseason performers of all-time, but the supporting cast needs work \u2014 especially when they lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency.<\/p>\n

In particular, the Lakers need an upgrade at the wing \u2014 the final move they must pull off to complete their offseason this year.<\/p>\n

Should the Lakers bring\u00a0Andrew Wiggins\u00a0in?<\/h2>\n
\"Heat
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As things stand, the\u00a0Lakers will presumably be starting Rui Hachimura\u00a0alongside Doncic, James, Ayton, and Austin Reaves.<\/p>\n

That looks like a dangerous starting lineup on paper. However, that lineup distinctly lacks a lockdown defender who will take on the best perimeter scorer on the opposing team.<\/p>\n

Doncic and Reaves are not the sturdiest defensive duo to begin with; the former’s effort comes and goes, and the latter’s size makes him a target for opposing teams to exploit in pick-and-roll situations.<\/p>\n

James can only do so much now that he’s set to turn 41 years of age in December. Ayton’s motor issues are well-documented.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Lakers’ defense was top-notch last season\u00a0even after bringing Doncic in thanks in large part to the defensive scheme that head coach JJ Redick deployed.<\/p>\n

Redick would want to load up the strong side, relying on the Lakers’ fleet-footed perimeter defenders, such as Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Finney-Smith, to cover the ground on the weak side when the opposing offense starts to ping the ball around.<\/p>\n

Now that the Lakers have more size on the interior, they don’t have to play as frenetic of a defensive scheme. However, the playoffs have shown that you can only have so many weak links on defense if the goal is to win the Larry O’Brien trophy.<\/p>\n

No, Hachimura is not exactly a defensive weak link. But he’s not exactly the lockdown wing defender that’s going to slow down the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Anthony Edwards.<\/p>\n

The Lakers will have to upgrade this position \u2014 especially if their mind is set on keeping Reaves alongside Doncic and James.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Lakers’ reported interest in Andrew Wiggins\u00a0should not come as a surprise to anyone.<\/p>\n

Wiggins has the size of a prototypical and ideal wing in the NBA, and he has a track record of elevating his game in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Wiggins became his best self, especially on defense, hounding Doncic and Jayson Tatum en route to winning the title with the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n

Since the Lakers believe that they can turn back the clock to 2022 anyway with\u00a0the addition\u00a0of Smart, why not make another gamble in the form of Wiggins?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alas, the Miami Heat have reportedly been very difficult to negotiate with, and as such, the Lakers appear to be setting their sights elsewhere.<\/p>\n

But Wiggins might be the attainable piece at the end of the day, as 3-and-D wings are at a premium in today’s NBA.<\/p>\n

Rumor has it that the Lakers are saving their resources for the 2027 offseason, when the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell, among others, could hit the open market.<\/p>\n

But time is of the essence for this Lakers team. If the\u00a0Heat lower their asking price for Wiggins, then the Lakers should be all over the former champion and All-Star starter.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lakers may have one more trade to pull off so they could maximize their title odds for the 2025-26 season. 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