The Los Angeles Lakers fanbase is hoping to become a competitor in the NBA Championship every season when teams play in the league.
Obviously, this fan was extremely disappointed following the exit of the first round of the La Lakers at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
And even more so, as he traded superstar Luka Donsic in exchange for Anthony Davis mid-season. But the biggest reason behind the defeat was that the Lakers didn’t have a quality center.
But what if the Lakers have never traded with Donsic? Could it have stuck with Mark Williams’ trade, where they had a veto with the Charlotte Hornets?
In a recent episode of Buha’s Block, La Lakers Insider Jovan Buha discussed an interesting virtual scenario for the 2024-25 NBA season.
The team’s impact on what Donsic was not traded for the team and the withdrawn trade between the Lakers and Hornets involving Williams.
“I think they’re going to trade Mark Williams again again and then withdraw it again,” Buha said. “…I actually do business with them with the centre, and I’m not sure who, but I have put Mark Williams on a tentative basis. There’s no reason you couldn’t trade again.”
Don’t forget that the main reason behind the Lakers is linked to several teams for the center, centered around the NBA trade deadline.
So, if advertising trade never happens, it’s not so unobtrusive to believe that the Lakers were still trading with Williams.
Even if they hadn’t dealt with Williams, they could have targeted someone like Daniel Gafford to become the team’s starting center. Therefore, let Davis move towards the advancement of his natural forces.
Getting Doncic is undoubtedly the best possible outcome for the Lakers from a future perspective of the franchise.
But going back to a hypothetical scenario where no shocking moves ever happened, Buha also presented his thoughts on how the Lakers roster and rotation changed.
Buha assumed the starting lineup would feature Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reeves, Max Christie and Center.
“The Lakers probably traded for a center and then moved Rui (Hachimura) to the bench. Now your benches are Rui, DFS (Dorian Finney-Smith), Gabe (Vincent), and Vando (Jarred Vanderbilt).
“It’s probably a rotation of your nine people. With this hypothesis, we don’t know if Jordang Goodwin will ever pop.”
Is this rotation more balanced than the Lakers who took part in the 2025 NBA playoffs? yes. Have the Lakers made even more progress than their first round? There’s no way to tell.