The Lakers’ pivot away from the LeBron James era didn’t start this offseason. It began back in February 2025, when the franchise stunned the league by trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic, even while James was still very much the face of the roster. That move quietly signaled where the organization’s long-term plans were headed.
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Now, with James officially gone to Philadelphia, team president Rob Pelinka addressed his departure for the first time at the Lakers’ season-opening press conference. Pelinka opened his remarks by acknowledging the significance of the moment before shifting to the future.
“I thought it would be appropriate just at the front to express gratitude for the LeBron era here,” he said. “Clearly, new team, new players, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. But we just as an organization, are still grateful for the run that we had with him here.”
He didn’t shy away from crediting James for reshaping the franchise during his tenure. “The Lakers have become, as they should, a perennial playoff team. Won a championship, went to the Western Conference Finals, and it was a great era, and we’re grateful for it,” Pelinka said.
LeBron James arrived in 2018, delivered the franchise’s 17th championship in the 2020 bubble, and remained one of the league’s best players well into his final season in Los Angeles.
He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while leading the Lakers to a 53-29 record and a first-round series win over Houston before departing for Philadelphia in free agency this past summer, a move that reportedly came as a surprise given earlier expectations he’d land in Cleveland.
After the departure of James, Rob Pelinka detailed the Lakers’ three-pronged thesis for the offseason. He explained the organization’s philosophy as:
“We wanted to retain Austin Reaves. That was a really big, big thing for us. We wanted to find a way to acquire a franchise center. And then we wanted to develop a roster of JJ Redick dribble, pass, shoot players that were younger and add depth to our roster.”
Pelinka further emphasized that these moves were intended to align the average age of the roster (around 26 or 27) with their star, Luka Doncic, stating:
“We felt like we accomplished all those things… ressigning Austin, putting together a trade to acquire Walker Kessler, and then building out our team with young players that could dribble, pass, shoot.”
JJ Redick Weighs In on What Comes Next
With James now gone, the Lakers’ identity fully becomes Doncic’s. Head coach JJ Redick sounded optimistic about the pieces built around him this summer.
“I think we have great wing depth, and I’m really excited for camp to start next week,” Redick said.
He pointed to weeks of small-group workouts and pickup games. Redick also brought up the team’s Slovenia trip, that have reportedly already produced a competitive atmosphere heading into training camp.
Redick was careful to temper expectations while still expressing confidence in the roster’s balance.
“This is not, and it never will be, a full rebuild around Luka in one offseason. That’s not the way the NBA works,” he said.
He added that he liked everything the front office did to build depth around both Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Between Pelinka’s tribute to what James built and Redick’s comments on the pieces added around Luka Doncic, the message from the organization is consistent: the LeBron chapter is closed, and they are ready to build afresh with Doncic