It is a new start for the Los Angeles Lakers, one the team were not expecting, yet one they have embraced.
Credit to Rob Pelinka for acting with agility to begin re-shaping the LA Lakers roster around new superstar player Luka Doncic.
Trading away Dalton Knecht is an imperfect yet necessary move, acquiring Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, a player with high potential.
Williams gives the LA Lakers what they need right now – but Anthony Davis would argue they have needed it all along.
A fortnight before the trade deadline, Anthony Davis expressed his desire for the LA Lakers to trade for a center.
This was rooted in Davis’ desire to switch positions despite the very fine job he has done as center in LA, he simply prefers to play as a power forward.
Davis explained, while still in LA: “I just feel a little bit more effective… But the front office knows that. I’ve told them every year I’ve been here, so it’s nothing new.”
Through his trade to the Dallas Mavericks, Davis has actually got exactly what he wanted. Dallas have Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford to play center, allowing him to finally play in his preferred role.
Yet when he looks back at LA, and sees the Laker front-office suddenly moving at warp-speed, Davis may have some conflicting emotions.
In recent seasons, LA Lakers fans have criticized Rob Pelinka for being too cautious and not doing enough.
And if the Mavs had not approached him, the Lakers may have continued to operate in the same way, making incremental improvements instead of taking big swings.
The Luka Doncic trade changed everything. The fallout from unexpectedly acquiring for the generational superstar saw the Lakers lose Max Christie along with Davis left the Lakers too light defensively.
Playing Jaxson Hayes as center all season long simply would not cut it, and with Davis no longer around to lean on at the position, the Lakers had to make a move.
Within days of Luka Doncic arriving, the Lakers have traded for a center, giving up Cam Reddish and Dalton Knecht to bring in Mark Williams.
Doncic had a role in the move too, involved in talks with the Lakers front office about building a roster around him.
With Doncic entering free agency in 2026, the Lakers have to make the next one and a half years count. They cannot waste this opportunity, and the way Pelinka has snapped into action, shows the franchise mean business.
