LeBron James is giving everything his 40-year-old body can muster. Luka Dončić is doing all he can. Rui Hachimura is playing through a broken face. Still, it looks like it's not going to be enough to save the Los Angeles Lakers from a first-round defeat at the hands of Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Edwards has seemingly evolved in this series like a Pikachu with a Thunder Stone. Already electric, he's now become super effective against whatever the Lakers and their fans have thrown at him, from double-teams and junk zones to hard fouls and in-game trash talk (thankfully, there's nothing like Edwards' BDE in the world of Pokémon that we're aware of). Now, he's one game away from a gentleman's sweep of the most famous team in the sport.
If this is how this wild roller coaster ride of a Lakers season is destined to end, Lakers fans should take one last good look at the team before each player packs up his things, because next year's team is going to look drastically different. Head coach JJ Redick has made it exceedingly clear in this series which players he believes in and which ones he doesn't, and let's just say that the former Duke sharpshooter's circle of trust is smaller than the infamously cramped confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Redick didn't make a single substitution in the second half of Game 4, which sounds like something you would do in NBA2K to unlike some kind of rare achievement. That stubbornness didn't unlock anything except a come-from-ahead loss, and instead of being tied 2-2 with home-court advantage, his Lakers now face their postseason mortality unless they can find a way to win three straight against a Wolves team that looks more athletic, more defensively sound and more capable of producing in crunch time.
All of this means that next year's Lakers could be unrecognizable from the team we see now, which itself is a far cry from the team that took the floor on Opening Night. D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis, 40 percent of that starting five, are both gone, replaced by Dorian Finney-Smith and Luka in a pair of trades that helped earn general manager Rob Pelinka an extension and a promotion to president of basketball operations.
What can Pelinka pull out of his bag of tricks this offseason? Maybe the Bucks will go full Nico Harrison and give him Giannis Antetokounmpo for Austin Reaves and a tour of the La Brea Tar Pits. Maybe he can pry Kevin Durant from a Phoenix Suns team that should be desperate to push the reset button.
One thing is for certain: next year's Lakers will be different, and we hope better, than this year's Lakers, because barring something drastic happening in the next week, this year's team just wasn't good enough. That means out with the old and in with the new, so today let's look at who might be packing up their Crypto.com Arena lockers for the final time.
The Lakers already tried to trade Dalton Knecht once
The Lakers have been a whiplash-inducing team to follow this year, but just imagine how Dalton Knecht feels. The rookie was considered by many (LeBron included) to be the steal of the 2024 draft. He lit up the preseason, then came on strong with a magical couple of weeks in November when he finally got an honest chance to crack the rotation.
Knecht fell out of favor after Dorian Finney-Smith and his superior defense arrived to take away his minutes, and other than a solid stretch when the Lakers were severely injury-depleted earlier this spring, he hasn't made his mark like he or the team hoped he would. Pelinka even packaged him in a trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams at the deadline, which created the cut-the-awkwardness-with-a-chainsaw effect of sending him right back to the team that just traded him after the deal was rescinded due to Williams failing his physical.
This was the basketball equivalent of saying, "Sike!" after breaking up with someone, but to Knecht's credit, he didn't create any drama about being jerked around. Still, the fact that he has two DNPs and has played only four minutes in this series show that he should still probably be renting instead of diving headfirst into the California real estate market.
The Lakers are going to be making moves this summer, and Knecht could very well end up as part of a package for another center. Hopefully this time it will be for someone who can pass a physical.
Jaxson Hayes has gone from post-AD savior to completely expendable
In a season that's been full of surprises, there may be none bigger than the shock of seeing the Lakers play high-end defense after trading away five-time All-Defensive Team member Anthony Davis. That can't all be attributed to Jaxson Hayes, who became a starter after AD went to Dallas, but he certainly contributed to L.A.'s unlikely stinginess.
Hayes' inspired play once made it seem like he might end up pricing the Lakers out of signing him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, but that seems like a long time ago now. His minutes have been falling for weeks, and even though the Lakers are without both Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III for these playoffs, that's done nothing to stop his playing time from bleeding away.
In what seems like JJ Redick's attempt at a Nathan Fielder-level comedy bit, Hayes has still been starting in these playoffs, but that's about all he's been doing, because he's pulled off the rare feat of starting every game yet never reaching double-digit minutes in any of them.
The Lakers are probably wishing that they went through with the Williams deal, because Hayes doesn't have the bulk or the physicality to be anything more than a traffic cone against the Timberwolves. Regardless, they'll definitely be in the market for a new center this offseason, and with the way that Hayes has become persona non grata, there seems to be no way that he'll return even as a backup.
Gabe Vincent's contract will be needed if the Lakers hope to trade for a bigger name
JJ Redick's complete lack of faith in his bench makes it seem like a clean sweep of Lakers reserves could happen this offseason. Markieff Morris, Shake Milton, and Alex Len should already have their bags packed, but the upcoming purge could extend to Gabe Vincent as well, because unlike the aforementioned trio, he actually makes a good bit more than the minimum salary.
Vincent's $11.5 million salary and expiring contract will be a necessary part of any semi-major to major deal Pelinka tries to swing this offseason. Maxi Kleber has a nearly identical salary, but his status as "buddy of Luka" should keep him safe as Pelinka also attempts to lock down his new star on a long-term deal.
Vincent won't be so fortunate. He could very well end up as part of the same package as Knecht if the Lakers try to trade for a center rather than sign one in free agency. Either way, Pelinka will need to make room to accommodate what promises to be a much bigger cap figure than Hayes currently has, whether it be from Brook Lopez, Clint Capela or Myles Turner in free agency, or a trade for someone like Nic Claxton, Walker Kessler or Robert Williams III.
The Lakers may be on life support, but they aren't quite dead yet, so maybe this is putting the cart before the proverbial horse. This premature obituary will seem funny if the Lakers are able to do what only 4.5 percent of teams that get down 3-1 have been able to do and come back to win the series. Either way, all of the above should still be true whenever the offseason begins.