As the old saying goes: it’s about what you have, not what you don’t. But in certain situations, it truly is about what you don’t have, as the Los Angeles Lakers learned — in a big, big way — this offseason.
It has been challenging to keep up with all that has happened with the Lakers this offseason, from the many moves they made, to ownership changing hands once again, to the Jonathan Kuminga saga, even to the news coming from across the street that the Clippers were being hammered with the most severe team punishment in NBA history.
So, have the Lakers come out on the high side after everything that has happened? In terms of the roster moves the team made, we’ll have to wait until we get a few months into the 2026-27 season. As for the rest, the Lakers probably deserve to be smiling.
Lakers Earn Praise After Recent Developments
Three non-Lakers have come up in connection with the team this offseason, including Kuminga, Kawhi Leonard and Mark Williams. Kuminga was supposed to be a Laker — or so most thought — but chose to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Leonard and Williams were simply never meant to be for the Lakers. And that has turned out to be a great thing, according to Clutch Points.
“The Lakers didn’t just dodge a bullet… They dodged a FULL CLIP LOAD of hassle,” Clutch Points’ Lake Show wrote in an X post. “Missed Kawhi and the controversy. Missed Mark Williams after that trade got rescinded, and now he’s injured. Missed Kuminga, who wanted a different situation. Sometimes missing out is the win.”
Seven years ago, Lakers fans felt burned through and through. Leonard came to Los Angeles, alright, but joined little brother. Of course, all those fans who lamented Leonard signing with the Clippers as a free agent are now breathing a huge sigh of relief after the NBA ruled on Leonard and the Clippers for violating the league’s salary cap rules.
For those unaware, Leonard made plenty of outlandish demands to the Lakers when both sides met in the 2019 offseason to negotiate Leonard’s free agency. Had L.A.’s front office caved in to what Leonard was asking for, perhaps they would be facing what the Clippers are today — forfeiting five first round picks, racking up a $30 million fine and having front office personnel suspended.
Williams Was the Right Call, and Kuminga Perhaps Wasn’t Best for L.A. Anyway
Two trade deadlines ago, the Lakers pulled the trigger on a trade that was supposed to send then-rookie forward Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for athletic big man Mark Williams. Last week, it was reported that Williams suffered a torn labrum and will miss extended time. Of course, it is not totally logical to use his injury as a reason why the Lakers were correct to rescind the trade, but Williams is, nonetheless, someone else’s problem today.
As for Kuminga, the Lakers upped their offer multiple times in hopes of landing the 23-year-old forward, but they ultimately did not go as far as Kuminga was hoping, and perhaps that decision goes down as a great one sometime in the near future.
It was reported that Kuminga ended up turning down a deal that would have paid him roughly $36 million over three years. Especially after handing out four-year contracts to Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes, maybe it was wise for the Lakers to hold back from another similar move.
Lakers Get Major Praise for ‘Dodging Bullet’ After Rejecting 3 Polarizing Stars