Column: Trade deadline deals transform Lakers from sideshow to NBA title contenders

They spent the last four years feeling as if they were stuck in rush-hour traffic. Now, the Lakers are racing down an open road.

Toward relevance.

Toward contention.

Toward a potential 18th championship.

Everything changed for the Lakers in the five days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, as they evolved from a high-profile sideshow into a legitimate threat.

Not content with simply landing LeBron James’ successor in Luka Doncic, the Lakers moved to maximize the time in which the tenures of the two generational superstars will overlap.

They addressed their opening created by the departure of center Anthony Davis, completing a trade with the Charlotte Hornets for 7-footer Mark Williams.

Lakers

Lakers trade for center Mark Williams, deal Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and draft picks

Fresh off acquiring Luka Doncic, the Lakers traded for 23-year-old Charlotte center Mark Williams in another deadline deal.

Feb. 5, 2025

Williams is 23, but this is as much about the present as it is about the future.

This is a win-now move, general manager Rob Pelinka investing most of what remained of their trade capital into the deal for Williams, who averaged 17.4 points and 10.7 rebound after moving into the Hornets’ starting lineup in mid-December.

Not since they traded for Anthony Davis before their most recent championship season have the Lakers inspired as much optimism. Not since Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased the Dodgers has a Los Angeles franchise transformed as dramatically.

The Lakers have done right by their fans, and they have done right by James.

Just a couple of nights ago, I asked James if he was concerned the Lakers could further prioritize the future over the present.

“If I had concerns,” James said, “I would’ve waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here.”

He was right.

Williams cost the Lakers their most recent first-round draft choice in Dalton Knecht, as well as a first-round pick swap in 2030 and an unprotected first-round selection in 2031.

This was a high-risk, high-reward maneuver by Pelinka.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, left, walks alongside side newly acquired Lakers star Luka Doncic during a news conference at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo on Tuesday.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

A former first-round pick, Williams has played in only 85 games in his three NBA seasons, as he has missed significant time with back, foot and ankle injuries. His back problems limited him to 19 games last season.

Williams is a solid rebounder but a below-average defender. He’s certainly no Anthony Davis.

With a starting lineup that includes a 40-year-old James and defensive liabilities in Doncic and Austin Reaves, who knows if the Lakers will be able to prevent their opponents from scoring at will.

There will be very real consequences if Williams fails to stay healthy or produce as expected. The Lakers next tradeable first-round pick is in the 2033 draft and they won’t be able to access it until 2026-27.

If the Lakers are forced to make another major trade before then, they will likely have to deal Reaves, which is something they don’t want to do.

Doncic emboldened the Lakers to place this wager. He made the gamble worthwhile, if not necessary.

The Lakers have a history of acquiring superstar after superstar after superstar, but how often have they had two players as talented as Doncic and James at the same time?

Pelinka recognized the opportunity and reacted with the appropriate level of urgency.

Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss deserve credit for the roster makeover, not so much for executing the trades — the Lakers were approached by the Mavericks and Hornets, not the other way around — but for positioning themselves to be able to strike these deals.

Frustrated by the team’s roster composition in recent years, James has passive-aggressively lobbied management to surround him with better players.

LeBron James, left, speaks with Luka Doncic talk during a game against the Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

When the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets last year in the playoffs, James was asked if he gained confidence in the team based on its improved late-season form.

“No,” James replied. “We lost. I’m not a participation guy.”

Translation: Upgrade the roster.

Last month, James said the Lakers had to play “close-to-perfect basketball” to win.

Translation: Upgrade the roster.

Finally, the Lakers did, providing James with an incentive to remain as engaged as he has been in his recent stretch of throwback performances.

Lakers

L.A. native upset Luka Doncic is a Laker. He’s raising money to protest trade with billboards in Dallas

A Mavericks fan who went to Palisades Charter High is raising funds for a billboard campaign in Dallas to protest the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

Feb. 6, 2025

Similar to the Dodgers and USC, the Lakers are defined by championships. For such brands, an absence of hope can result in an identity crisis. Because if they can’t win, what are they?

That’s where the Lakers were stuck late in Kobe Bryant’s career. That’s where they were after Bryant’s retirement. And that’s where they returned after their bubble championship.

The trades for Doncic and Williams don’t guarantee another championship, but they have Los Angeles dreaming again. Until further notice, the Lakers are back to being the Lakers.