Lakers rumors: LA faces 'good problem' with possible roster changes for playoffs
03/20/2025 01:11 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season has gone much better than many expected. Despite entering the year after a rather uneventful offseason — other than the hiring of JJ Redick — the Lakers are just one game back from second place in the Western Conference.
After last night’s win over the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles is 43-25 and on pace to win more than 50 games for the first time since they won the 2019-20 season, when they won an NBA Championship.
There are still plenty of issues to address before the postseason, though, with the most glaring being injuries to key players, including LeBron James, and reliable big men. While the injuries could resolve themselves with some time off — the Lakers surely hope that — Redick is trying to figure out which centers he can trust in his rotation.
After trading Anthony Davis, the team’s best interior defender and lob threat in exchange for Luka Doncic, the Lakers tried to acquire Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. Williams failed his Lakers physical, however, and the team decided to rescind the trade, leaving them without a starting center.
Fortunately, Jaxson Hayes has stepped up and taken on the bulk of the minutes at center. But his backup has yet to be definitively determined, although two-way player Trey Jemison has made his case. A few weeks ago, Jemison played in six consecutive games, averaging 15.7 minutes as midseason signing Alex Len watched from the bench.
Jemison, along with Jordan Goodwin, another two-way player, will force the Lakers to make a decision one way or the other over the next month since for either to be eligible for the playoffs, their contracts must be converted to standard deals. And to do that, they must release some players to make room for Goodwin and/or Jemison.
“A source with knowledge of the Lakers’ thinking told ESPN,” according to Dave McMenamin, “that having to make decisions about the back end of the roster because the two-way players are standing out is a ‘good problem to have’ and said L.A. would not be in any rush to make a change, using the final weeks of the regular season to continue to gather data points on every player involved.”
After a four-game losing streak, the Lakers have picked up three straight wins, which makes it 11 victories for the purple and gold in their last 15 games. They host the Milwaukee Bucks tonight.
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