The playoff sweep by Oklahoma City convinced the Lakers that they need to add more talent and depth to their roster, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register writes in a subscriber-only piece. General manager Rob Pelinka was especially struck by the development of Ajay Mitchell, a second-round pick in 2024 who started his career on a two-way contract and averaged 22.5 PPG in the series against L.A.
“There’s ways to add to your roster if you commit to doing the hard work and commit to the process of adding the right pieces,” Pelinka said at his end-of-season press conference last week. “We’ll be doing that through the draft and free agency and through trades. We’ve got to find a way to have a roster that will compete with any team in the NBA.”
Pelinka added that the Lakers, who hold the 25th pick this year, plan to bring in more than 20 players for workouts with an emphasis on finding more depth, athleticism and youth. He stated that competitiveness and basketball IQ will also be prioritized, noting that player development has become more important than ever with the current salary structure.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings were focused on their second-round picks at No. 34 and 45 when they held their first pre-draft workout on Friday, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (subscription required). Taking part were Houston shooting guard Emanuel Sharp, Duke center Maliq Brown, Auburn power forward Keyshawn Hall, Louisville shooting guard Isaac McKneely, Grand Canyon small forward Jaden Henley and Xavier power forward Tre Carroll, who are all projected to be taken the second round or go undrafted. Sharp talked to reporters about what he can offer an NBA team (Twitter video link from Michelle Dapper of KCRA).
- Florida State point guard Robert McCray has worked out for the Suns, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). Louisville guard Ryan Conwell and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins are scheduled to visit Phoenix next week, Gambadoro adds (Twitter link).
- The Warriors‘ Jimmy Butler may not return to the court until after midseason, but he was able to entertain at the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival on Friday (Instagram video), relays Kalan Hooks of ESPN. Butler, who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery in February, performed a few songs while jumping around the stage. “Don’t show this to (coach) Steve (Kerr); I got a torn ACL,” he told the crowd.
Can the Warriors sue Jimmy and then get that cap space opened to acquire a $50M guy?