The Lakers have put a timeline on the post-LeBron James era, and it does not run through next June. Lakers insider Jovan Buha, who spoke with several people in the organization, reported Friday that the front office privately acknowledges the roster may have taken a step back this summer — and that the plan is to win 50-plus games this season, add via trade next offseason, and arrive as a true contender in 2028.
“There was an acknowledgement that we might have taken a step back,” Buha relayed of his conversations. “But we can win 50-plus games and next summer see what trades we need to make. Then in 2028, we can be a true contender.”
It is the frankest accounting yet of an offseason that read as a retooling. James left for free agency on June 30 and remains unsigned. Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart departed when the front office declined to match their price. The headline addition was Walker Kessler on a four-year, $130 million deal, flanked by Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili — role players chosen to fit around Luka Doncic and the newly re-signed Austin Reaves, whose four-year, $185 million max became official July 12.
The 2028 framing explains the discipline. The front office kept its remaining draft capital and its two stars rather than chasing a third this July, betting that a 50-win season around Doncic and Reaves preserves both the standing and the assets to strike when a better trade market opens next summer. San Antonio and Oklahoma City sit above them in the West today; the Lakers are choosing not to pretend otherwise.
The retooling is not finished at the margins, either. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported this week that the Lakers have registered interest in free agent wing Matisse Thybulle and continue to monitor a sign-and-trade for Jonathan Kuminga, though with cap space and the room exception spent, only minimum-level or trade routes remain.
For fantasy purposes, the roadmap concentrates value at the top. Doncic enters the season as the unquestioned offensive hub with no third star arriving until at least next summer, and Reaves settles in as a high-usage No. 2 — both are locked-in early-round picks. Kessler’s rebounding and shot-blocking should hold up in a full-time starting role, while Sexton and Grimes profile as matchup-dependent depth worth watching in deeper leagues rather than drafting outright.
