Brian's last day of vacation and in his place is friend of the show Jovan Buha, Lakers beat writer for The Athletic and host of the podcast, Buha's Block. After recounting the vibe in Las Vegas towards Bronny James during Summer League, Jovan digs into the 43.5 win over/under for next seasons' Lakers, set by our friends over at FanDuel. Does Jovan predict a number closer to 47 in 2024, or closer to .500 (or below!)? There's also talk about next season's rotation as the roster currently...

Brian's still on vacation, so today we're joined in his place by Matt Peralta from Lakers Nation, a site and show with as big of a reach among Lakers fans as Locked On Lakers. As such, it felt useful to talk with Matt to get his take on how Lakers fans are feeling about an offseason where LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been provided no new faces by Rob Pelinka to help them, save Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. (And JJ Redick, who does matter.) Are fans angry? Resigned? Or perhaps even...

Brian remains on vacation, so L.A. Times Lakers beat writer Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) is in the house! We begin by talking about how the Lakers front office feels internally about the roster, as it currently stands. Are LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a position to compete at the highest level and how do they evaluate what assets they're willing to sacrifice to reach another tier? What's the cost/benefit math determining whether it's better to move or keep one or both of their first-round...

Brian remains on vacation, so today's guest spot is taken by Aaron Larusel (@AaronLarsuel), who's worked with many NBA teams and currently is a consultant with the Lakers. Fans are dying to see new pieces added around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but thus far, it's been slow goings. Is this a Lakers or a "whole league" thing? Aaron offers insights about the mechanics of making trades. How difficult is it to turn "talks" into actual trades, and how much is the new CBA in the "Apron World"...

Brian is out of town, so it's a week of awesome guests. We kick things Claire de lune (The Guardian, Tiny Deaths) stops by to talk about the state of the Lakers. Other than drafting Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, the Lakers have made no additions to the roster, which is essentially unchanged. How big of a problem is this... now? Is there a timeline before which stuff needs to happen or LeBron James and Anthony Davis will start getting outwardly displeased? Plus, is it possible to have a...

The Summer Lakers were a rough watch for five games or so, but over the last two? A lot more fun! Thursday, the SPL crew won its second straight game, beating the Summer Cavs in a nailbiter. They were led by Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Colin Castleton. Knecht is the only guy in the group expected to play a regular role on the big club, and he continued to play well. Not perfectly, and you can see some of the holes in his game but when you think about how he'll be used contextually in JJ...

The disappointment with missing out on Gary Trent Jr. for a minimum contract continued into Wednesday, at least on the show's YouTube page. Beyond all the contextual reasons why Trent might choose the Bucks over the Lakers -- cleaner fit, bigger role, chemistry with Dame, etc. -- there is a feeling that the Lakers simply can't lure players the way they used to. But is that history actually real, or is it more mythology? Certainly there's a lot of the latter. So what does that mean about...

For much of the offseason, the inability of the Lakers to make anything happen with the roster has been a point of frustration for fans. But then again, there were always extenuating circumstances. Contextually, the Lakers either couldn't offer the right role, the right money, or the right role with the right money. They lack trade pieces teams seem to want, which isn't exactly a great defense of the front office but does explain the inactivity. The Lakers also don't have a ton of draft...

The US Men's National Team typically has some games in their prep for Olympic competition that give people reason to worry. Monday vs. Australia, they had just that, squeaking by the Aussies by six. People didn't like the results, but if you're just focused on the Lakers, it's harder to complain. Anthony Davis once again had an excellent game in relatively short minutes. 17 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks in only 19 minutes. One again, Davis was making a bit of a statement, one that's...

As it becomes more likely that the Lakers will head to training camp with the roster as currently constructed, more focus is being put on how new head coach JJ Redick might manage those players. What could the Lakers look like offensively? How will they look to improve their player development? What does that mean, beyond just working with the youngest players on the roster (like Bronny James, Max Christie or Maxwell Lewis)? Redick answered questions like these, and a few more, in a...

Well, if Anthony Davis and LeBron James are going to play in the Olympics - scaring many Lakers fans in the process - they might as well look good. And man alive, did Davis do just that on Wednesday in Vegas against Team Canada. 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks in only 19 minutes. That's some serious production. So while the nervousness is going to remain until Davis and James return from Paris unscathed (and even then, there will be concern about carryover...

On the one hand, it's obviously an honor to represent your country in the Olympics. You can't begrudge players for taking advantage of the opportunity to play when its given. And no question, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both worthy of a spot on the roster. So kudos to them, go bring home a gold medal. On the other... those guys have a lot of mileage. James has historic levels of mileage. The Olympics just add to that, and while the games and training in the aggregate may not be...

Introducing What's wrong with Dak Prescott's ankle? from Locked On Sports Today - Daily Podcast Covering The Biggest Sports Stories. Follow the show: Locked On Sports Today - Daily Podcast Covering The Biggest Sports Stories Dak Prescott was seen in a boot that doesn’t exactly say “Cowboy.” How much concern is there in Dallas? Also, the Dodgers and Phillies are in the middle of what feels like a NL Championship preview. And the NBA is getting ready for a race to the bottom for Cooper...

There is tremendous frustration among Lakers fans about the inactivity in the offseason to this point. That much is clear. But how much has that frustration colored the view of how good the team actually is? The Lakers were a very, very un-fun squad last year. There was a poor vibe around the team for most of the year, and that sucked a lot of life out of things. There were injuries, there was Darvin Ham, and so on. But despite all of it, in the end the Lakers won 47 games, which isn't...

The Lakers would love to improve their standing in the Western Conference, which would likely require figuring out how to drop some of the lesser players on the 15 man roster. Easy enough to dump a guy like Cam Reddish on another team, tossing in a second rounder for their trouble, right? Well, not really. The Lakers don't have a lot of second round picks to give away. While they have one coming in next offseason, they have three of their own going out. Picks matter not just for the...

LeBron James, officially up and practicing with Team USA in preparation for the Paris Olympics, met with the media over the weekend. He talked about Bronny, and what has been a very, very quiet offseason. James didn't give a full throated defense of the front office, but he didn't fillet them, either. There was a strong, "it is what it is" kind of vibe. LeBron acknowledged that the Lakers at least tried, and certain moves were just beyond their ability to close the deal. So he's smart...

LeBron James, officially up and practicing with Team USA in preparation for the Paris Olympics, met with the media over the weekend. He talked about Bronny, and what has been a very, very quiet offseason. James didn't give a full throated defense of the front office, but he didn't fillet them, either. There was a strong, "it is what it is" kind of vibe. LeBron acknowledged that the Lakers at least tried, and certain moves were just beyond their ability to close the deal. So he's smart...

As expected, or at least as expected around these parts, LeBron James signed his new deal with the Lakers on Saturday and left just enough money on the table to keep the Lakers under the threshold for the dreaded second apron, where the NBA makes player transactions incredibly hard to execute. The difference in the contracts isn't massive - just under $3 million on a deal that is now worth $101 million and change, vs. $104 million and change, so no need to pass a hat for the guy - but it's...

The inevitable happened on Wednesday, as the Lakers and LeBron James agreed to a two year contract for max (or near max -- getting to that in a moment) money, about $104 million. The second year? A player option. So there's a good chance LeBron and the Lakers are right back here next year. It means, first and foremost, that the window LeBron opened by offering to take less money in year one so the Lakers could improve the team by acquiring a higher cost player that might require the full...

Introducing Are the Cleveland Cavaliers making the right decision extending Donovan Mitchell? from Locked On Sports Today - Daily Podcast Covering The Biggest Sports Stories. Follow the show: Locked On Sports Today - Daily Podcast Covering The Biggest Sports Stories Donovan Mitchell is staying in Cleveland and he is getting PAID. Can the Cavs build a title contender with him? Also, what does the Celtics sale mean for a potential dynasty? Aaron Judge is putting together the best season of his...

Rob Pelinka's window to shop is apparently closing. As expected, the Lakers and LeBron James have come to an agreement for his next deal, and since the Lakers couldn't make a big move, LeBron will be signing for the max, or really, really close to it. Reportedly, the deal is for two years, with a player option in year two (you've seen this structure before). The wrinkle: LeBron reportedly is willing to take a million or two less for this year, because it'll keep the Lakers below the second...

Another day, another 24 hours of inaction from the Lakers. No trades, no signings, no nothin'. Not even an assistant coach to start populating JJ Redick's staff. None of this is to say the Lakers aren't trying, or are just killin' time before the regular season starts. Surely they're working the phones, and diligently trying to find some assistant coaches. But for now, nothing is actually happening. Maybe it turns out ok. The offseason is long. The world has a lot of coaches in it, many...

Was Klay Thompson a good idea? A bad idea? Well, the Lakers were, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, willing to go as high as three or four years around $20 mil a year for Thompson. And, he has, reportedly, decided to go to the Mavericks instead. But whether the Lakers dodged a bullet or not, the fact remains they haven't done anything yet in the offseason from a personnel standpoint. Meanwhile, players are sliding off the board at a variety of positions while the Lakers face a...

The Lakers are trying to find ways to upgrade the roster, and in less than 24 hours since free agency opened, the names attached to them have been flying off the board. James Harden. Jonas Valanciunus. And now Klay Thompson, who felt like the guy with the best odds, between having grown up in L.A. rooting for the Lakers, his father Mychal's past/current ties to the team, and positional fit. Well, that's now null and void. So who's next for the Lakers to chase? Andy Kamenetzky breaks it all...