How can the Los Angeles Lakers return to championship contention next season?
Luka Doncic may have arrived in Los Angeles just a few months ago, but his future in "The City of Angels" isn't guaranteed beyond 2025-26. With a $46 million player option needing to be decided on next summer, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has a lot of work to do to convince his perennial All-NBA talent to accept the option and return to the Lakers in 2026 (and hopefully for the Lakers, beyond).
Is Pelinka's idea to surround Doncic and soon-to-be 41-year-old LeBron James with viable role players and enough depth to compete at a high level, or will he swing for the fences to try and bring in another All-Star to pair with his dynamic duo?
In a proposed deal by Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, the Lakers could opt for the latter and bring in an All-Star while also filling their clear biggest need... a starting-caliber center.
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr.
Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, 2031 First-Round Pick (unprotected)
For the Lakers, snagging an All-Star center without having to part ways with Austin Reaves is a no-brainer win. A lineup consisting of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Jarrett Allen, with either Dorian Finney-Smith or another trade packaging some of their other mid-tier contracts for another starting-caliber player, is a viable way to return to contention as early as next season without compromising their future, led by Doncic and Reaves.
For the Cavaliers, acquiring a great role player in Hachimura while adding a young sharpshooter in Knecht and a future first-round pick is a solid return for Allen, which will also allow the reigning NBA Defensive Player of The Year in Evan Mobley to move over to playing the center on a full-time basis, which he did at a high-level when Allen was out of the lineup or not on the floor this past season.
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