The 2026 NBA Offseason has been a time of addition and revision for most teams, but for the Los Angeles Lakers, the recurring theme seems to be more of subtraction and distraction. 

To be fair to the Lakers, they too have been doing some retooling of their own, resigning Austin Reaves, acquiring Walker Kessler and Jaden Hardy, and agreeing to free agency deals with Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, and Quentin Grimes. 

However, the losses they’ve suffered in the offseason thus far have been quite painful. LeBron James is set to embark on an unprecedented 24th NBA season with another team, while Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes moved on to other franchises. DeAndre Ayton was traded away, but he may not be as missed. 

There is a direction to Los Angeles’ moves so far, as they are trying to build around Luka Doncic, who thrives off the pick and roll and familiarity hence, the Dallas Mavericks alumni. Then again, he already had that with Hayes, Hachimura, and even Maxi Kleber, among others. Blowing up the roster and doing a complete overhaul may not have been necessary, especially if new Lakers majority owner Mark Walter wanted to hit the ground running. 

There may be a method to the madness that is the Los Angeles’ offseason and by the time you read this, it may finally reveal itself. But right now, the plan seems to be a general house cleaning that could set themselves up for years to come. Analytics may have come into play and too could other factors, but on paper, many remain skeptical. 

Inexperience and injuries are among the factors associated with some of their signings and players tend to feel extra pressure when playing for the Lakers. The best shooters suddenly lose their touch and it alters the trajectories of their careers. Rookies never hit the ground running or tend to disappear after a season or two. With the new personnel coming in, the need to bring them up to speed could take some time and see a learning curve that could extend into the regular season. 

Nonetheless, Los Angeles could be playing the long game, setting themselves up for when someone like Nikola Jokic becomes a free agent in a few year’s time. But then again, the Lakers would be wasting a year or two of Doncic’s best years and if his patience runs thin, he could move elsewhere (or return to the Dallas Mavericks), setting Los Angeles back into the dark ages. 

The Los Angeles Lakers obviously would not want to return to that, as the franchise has been more star power than pursuing a developmental route. They may have to ramp things up, though, because they are already being left behind by their peers.