The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the NBA’s most pleasant surprises throughout the regular season this year, but their 2025-26 campaign ended with a second-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both starting guards in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were hit with unlucky injuries just before the postseason, forcing 41-year-old LeBron James to try to lead a weakened Lakers squad past the first seed in the second round.
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Now, Doncic is reportedly fully recovered from a hamstring injury and is making it clear that he sees every non-championship season as a failure.
“I won’t hide it, if you don’t win the title, it’s a bad season,” Doncic said. “We’ve been unlucky with injuries, myself included, after we played some great basketball in March. It’s going to be a long time before next season. I hope it’s better for us.”
Doncic is coming off an impressive season in which he led the NBA in scoring with 33.5 points to go along with 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game.
But at 27 years old and in the middle of his prime, winning a championship is Doncic’s priority.
Even if James returns to L.A. next season, he’s in the twilight years of his career and the Lakers need to start laying the foundation for a squad that is fully centered around Doncic.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic is urging the Lakers to add an “A-list” center like Jalen Duren or Walker Kessler.
An athletic big with strong finishing skills would be a nice fit alongside Doncic, who plays best when he has a lob threat setting on-ball screens.
These roster needs are just a few of the many decisions the front office is facing this offseason, along with the pending player options for both Reaves and Deandre Ayton.
All in all, the next few months will be as important for the Lakers as any other team in the league.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
