4 Lakers playing their final postseason in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers are locked in a competition for the No. 8 seed as the final game of the season approaches. With the Sacramento Kings in close pursuit and the Golden State Warriors still hanging around by a thread, anything could happen.

No matter the outcome, however, Los Angeles' postseason life will be on the line in the Play-In Tournament. The outcome of tomorrow's games will determine whether the Lakers get one or two shots to crack the final eight-team field in the Western Conference.

It has been a largely disappointing season for the Lakers. We know this team is capable of flipping a switch late — See: 2023 playoffs — but with Darvin Ham on the hot seat and LeBron James' upcoming free agency in full focus, the Lakers feel destined for a quick flameout. The competition is too strong in the West right now.

James is going to have his share of suitors outside Los Angeles, but we all know LeBron will re-sign when push comes to shove. His roots in the City of Angels are too deep. That doesn't mean Los Angeles won't shed several of his current teammates in an effort to improve the roster.

Here are the Lakers destined for the offseason chopping block.

4. Jaxson Hayes doesn't have a future with the Lakers

He's only 23 years old, but it feels like patience is starting to run thin for Jaxson Hayes. At the very least, he doesn't really have a future in Los Angeles. The Lakers are focused on winning a chip before LeBron retires. Hayes has all the athletic gifts once could ask for in a 7-footer, but he's far too unreliable to earn consistent playing time. Especially in the playoffs.

He could re-sign on a minimum contract — that's the sort of anticlimactic outcome we can never truly rule out — but Hayes would be smart to seek out opportunities in a smaller market, on a less competitive team. Go sign with the Wizards or something. Hayes needs to get reps under his belt and prove that he can consistently impact winning, even if it's with a losing team. That sounds counterintuitive, but it's really not. The Lakers aren't playing him enough.

Hayes has appeared in 69 games (five starts), averaging 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.5 minutes, but he won't be in the Lakers' postseason lineup. Hayes' talent for shot-blocking and high-flying finishes is undeniable, but his discipline level is not where it needs to be, and he still runs into strength-related problems on defense.

Maybe Hayes can develop into a more reliable rotation piece down the line — again, he's 23 — but the Lakers experiment hasn't worked out. It's that simple.

3. Cam Reddish hasn't delivered on the hype for the Lakers

Cam Reddish signed with Los Angeles to a great deal of fanfare. That has generally be the case with Reddish for his entire career — there is a faction of hardcore believers who rely on high school highlights to justify ongoing faith in a flunked lottery pick. We can't close the door on Reddish entirely at 24 years old, but the former No. 10 pick has consistently underperformed relative to expectations.

Reddish was starting games for the Lakers at one point. He has 26 starts in 48 games, and had an ankle injury not sidetracked his season in January, maybe we'd be having a different conversation right now. But, Reddish has struggled quite significantly since his return from injury. For the season, he's averaging 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on .389/.336/.759 splits in 20.5 minutes.

That won't cut it, plain and simple. Reddish has been far too inefficient. Lacking burst to create separation or pressure the rim, but not good enough behind the 3-point line to compensate, Reddish is frequently unable to deliver on the promise suggested by his slick handles and fluid shot mechanics.

The defense hasn't really been up to par this season either. Reddish was able to hang his hat on defense from time to time with Atlanta, but he's not consistent enough on that end to overcome the rocky offensive output. Reddish was a great prospect coming out of high school, but it's probably time for us to readjust expectations. The time to do that was during his freshman season at Duke, actually.

2. Spencer Dinwiddie is not coming back to the Lakers

The Lakers pretty much had to sign Spencer Dinwiddie on the buyout market. That's the sort of value a contender cannot pass up. That said, while Dinwiddie's track record was deserving of a spot in L.A., the production has not been there. What plagued him in Brooklyn is now plaguing him in Los Angeles. In fact, the Lakers front office might regret the Dinwiddie signing, if only because Darvin Ham isn't disciplined enough to shelve the veteran when it's clearly not working.

In 27 games (four starts) with Los Angeles, Dinwiddie has averaged 6.8 points and 2.5 assists on .394/.386/.875 splits in 24.6 minutes. The 3-point percentage is up, but his volume has dipped and he's not providing much resistance on defense. Dinwiddie has always made his living on slashing and mid-range pull-ups. Right now, the finishing isn't there. He's in the 12th percentile on 2-point shots (41.7 percent), per Cleaning the Glass.

He can still set up the offense and collapse the defense with slick moves to the basket, but Dinwiddie is a shell of his former shelf. Maybe he's due for a bounce-back next season — 31 years old is hardly ancient by NBA standards — but Dinwiddie has been thoroughly unimpressive in LA. Factor in his season's worth of cryptic comments, which betray a stark lack of reckoning with his own decline, and there's not much incentive to keep Dinwiddie around. He doesn't fit with the Lakers' backcourt and he's not good enough to offset the bumpy fit.

So, expect Dinwiddie to be in search of a new home in the offseason. Maybe he can sign with the Dallas Mavericks, which probably should've been his first instinct all along.

1. Lakers are going to trade D'Angelo Russell if he doesn't walk

D'Angelo Russell has a player option worth $18.7 million for the 2024-25 campaign. It's hard to tell how he will approach his decision. The Ohio State product has certainly performed up to expectations this season — better than expectations, honestly — but lingering concerns about his postseason viability and career-long inconsistency could taint his value.

That said, we didn't think Russell would manage such a lucrative contract last offseason, when he didn't perform nearly as well down the stretch. A former No. 2 pick, there is still belief in Russell's natural talent around the league. Or at least in Los Angeles. He's only 28, so he could get a nice long-term deal in the middle of his prime.

If Russell is confident in his ability to land three or four years of solid, guaranteed money, he will probably opt out. If not, he's going to opt in, take the safe money, and try to boost his stock next season. Either way, he's probably on his way out of Los Angeles. The Lakers surely prefer an opt-in from Russell, offering them the flexibility to trade his expiring contract.

Russell trade rumors were rampant at the deadline in February. The Lakers were heavily connected to Dejounte Murray, who is expected to hit the chopping block again in a couple months. His teammate, Trae Young, has also been floated as a potential Lakers trade target if the Hawks hit the reset button.

So, with the Lakers bound to go star-hunting — potentially for a star at Russell's own position — it's probably unwise to purchase a No. 1 jersey. It will be dated very soon.