The move opened some eyes as Bennett is an extremely respected person who had great success in the college ranks. He took two programs in Virginia, as well as Washington State, to new levels and coached and developed a number of players who would go on to NBA success, including Klay Thompson, Trey Murphy III, Malcolm Brogdon and De’Andre Hunter.

But in his role as draft advisor, Bennett will not be taking on a lead role in the scouting department or draft room itself. But instead, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Bennett’s eye for identifying specific types of players will be utilized as the Lakers look to increase their stock of young, promising players:

Bennett, a team source said, will not be leading the Lakers’ draft room or scouting. Instead, Bennett’s experience in finding players who possess toughness, energy and IQ will aid in the Lakers’ search as they restock an empty-ish cupboard of young talent.

There was a time when the Lakers’ scouting and drafting department was one of the biggest strengths in the organization. The team regularly found players in the late-first or second rounds of the draft that would go on to be excellent players in the NBA, such as Josh Hart, Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and Larry Nance Jr.

Oftentimes, those players would be used in trades to acquire a superstar, but that also means that these young players were talented enough to warrant inclusion in such deals. These days, the Lakers’ stock of young players is basically empty. Dalton Knecht’s value has plummeted, which leaves rookie Adou Thiero, who has battled injury in his first season, as the lone young player with some real potential on this roster.

Bennett’s teams in college were known for their defense, toughness and high IQ who played together and embraced their roles and he ultimately led Virginia to the National Championship in 2019. If he can help to find some of those players who have those same qualities he will be a great benefit to this Lakers franchise.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton doesn’t want to be placed in Clint Capela role

When it comes to the current Lakers roster one of the biggest keys to success is the play of center Deandre Ayton. And the big man recently let it be known that he does not want to be placed in rim-running role that Clint Capela once held for the Houston Rockets.

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The Lakers, as currently constructed, are a poor defensive team that struggles against younger, more athletic teams. Although Luka Doncic is having a career year and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are turning in All-Star-caliber seasons, Los Angeles is still a step behind the other contending teams around the NBA.

The lack of activity at the trade deadline supports the reporting that the Lakers will look to make their splash in the summer when they’re armed with more tradable draft capital and cap space.

In terms of free agency, there are several 3-and-D wings that could be had and a few of them were named as potential targets, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

An unrestricted free agent who has been discussed internally, sources told ESPN, is Andrew Wiggins, but he has a player option with Miami he could exercise. Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes and Dean Wade are other players who fit that profile.

The Lakers have also privately discussed restricted free agents Tari Eason and Peyton Watson, sources told ESPN, and could land the latter if Denver, which already has $215 million in salary committed to returning players for next season, doesn’t match the offer sheet.

Some of these are names we’ve seen before. Andrew Wiggins was arguably the most popular name linked to the Lakers this past offseason, and he remains an intriguing option. A perimeter defender who can knock down an open 3-pointer and comes with championship experience would be a valuable addition to Los Angeles.

It’s not a foregone conclusion that Wiggins will even be a free agent this summer, however as he has a $30.2 million player option in 2026-27 that he could very well pick up.

The Lakers may also want to target the younger players available in order to match up better with Doncic’s timeline. With that in mind, Tari Eason and Peyton Watson would be excellent targets because of their skillsets and upside. Watson, in particular, seems attainable given his expected price tag and Southern Californian roots.

Attracting a star player to come to L.A. has always been the playbook for the front office, but with Doncic already locked down they need to surround him with complementary pieces. The modern NBA is built around speed, length and athleticism so the purple and gold should be as aggressive as possible for players with those attributes come the summer.

Lakers believe they would be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist of trade destinations

With more first round picks to trade, Los Angeles can make a run at nearly any player in the league. The big prize of the summer is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who appears ready to be moved and the Lakers believe they would be on his shortlist of trade destinations should he actually ask out.

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Jeanie Buss is staying on as Governor for at least the next five years, but her younger brothers Joey and Jesse Buss were recently let go from their front office positions.

According to recent reports, the Lakers’ front office is expected to change this offseason with the organization bringing in more smart people to run the team, similar to what Walter did when he took over the Dodgers. In fact, the Lakers are looking to model their front office after the Dodgers’.

One other change that appears to be on the horizon is president of business operations Tim Harris leaving the organization after this season, per Dan Woike of The Athletic:

Lakers president of business operations Tim Harris informed staff Tuesday that this will be his final season with the organization per sources. Harris, who was the driving force between the massive local TV rights deal with Spectrum SportsNet, has been with the Lakers/The Forum…

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 17, 2026

Harris is a former professional soccer player that grew close to Dr. Jerry Buss and has been working with the Lakers on the business side for the last 30-plus years. He was involved in a lot of key decisions, including their TV deal with Spectrum that gives them a huge advantage over other smaller-market teams.

It remains to be seen how the Lakers will replace Harris, but Walter likely has someone in mind as he has thrived on the business side with the Dodgers in recent years. The Lakers are one of the biggest brands in all of sports, and being able to really capitalize on that will be key for the organization moving forward in this new era.

Jeanie Buss discusses Lakers building around Luka Doncic

On and off the court, the Lakers have a superstar to build around for years to come in Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old who was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks last year.

After building around LeBron James and Anthony Davis for so many years, the Lakers’ focus now shifts to Doncic, who Jeanie Buss is excited to have in the organization.

“The partnership will give us the stability to continue to move forward as we build towards a team around Doncic,” Buss said. “We couldn’t be more proud that he is a Laker. He is a young all-star that the fans love to see.”

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Since the 2025 offseason, the Lakers and general manager Rob Pelinka have been open about their preference to retain flexibility for the summer of 2026. That’s why they’ve opened up roughly $48.5 million in cap space and did not make any real moves to surround Luka Doncic with high-level talent at the deadline.

Flexibility can only get you so far, though. Pelinka has often touted flexibility as the reason to not make improvements now. But it also sets him up in a situation where he effectively has to make moves in the summer of 2026. If he doesn’t, the whole last year becomes a waste of patience. And there are many that believe, at a certain point, Doncic won’t put up with it anymore.

However, the Lakers star seems to like what the front office is doing, and has been on board with the concept of being patient and building toward the future, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

A source familiar with Doncic’s thinking told ESPN that L.A.’s deadline approach with “adherence to discipline” and focus on the “long-term picture” was supported by the 26-year-old star. He has not pushed the team to add a superstar-level co-star for when James is no longer on the roster.

Doncic being on board with this plan is likely why he signed a three-year extension the first day he possibly could over the summer. He clearly believes in Pelinka’s vision to build a championship roster, and maybe recognized that it wasn’t going to happen with him and LeBron James taking up a significant portion of the Lakers’ salary structure.

The 2026 offseason is the Lakers’ first real opportunity to build a Luka-centric roster, not one built around James and Anthony Davis. If they get it right, they could find themselves quickly back into championship contention. If not, the hope becomes that Doncic remains on board with L.A., even as he nears his first potential free agency.

Lakers believe they could be on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shortlist

One way the Lakers could use their cap space flexibility is to add a new star to usher in the post-LeBron era. And the biggest name for that is Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the Greek star has not yet requested a trade, the Lakers believe they’d have a real shot if he did.

They reportedly see themselves as being on his shortlist, and would be able to make an aggressive offer using their cap space and multiple available draft picks.

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They could go the simple route of securing top free agents — not an impressive list this summer — by offering them more than most other teams can. But they can also use their cap space to acquire players via trade without having to send back significant, or any, salary. And that could be the plan with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is slated to make $58.5 million in 2026-27, then has a player option worth $62.8 million for 2027-28. Right now, he has yet to give any serious indication that he wants to leave Milwaukee — same as it has been for nearly a half-decade — but the Lakers may be holding on hope that they can land him if he changes his mind this summer, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

The Lakers, team sources told ESPN, obviously see the appeal in Antetokounmpo and believe they would be one of the teams on a very short list if the Bucks star asks for a trade out of Milwaukee.

A Western Conference executive told ESPN he believes Antetokounmpo is the “big prize” the Lakers hope to land, should the Milwaukee Bucks decide to trade the 2021 NBA Finals MVP in the offseason.

But Antetokounmpo is no guarantee to be traded, despite how the saga has played out with the Bucks and their longtime superstar so far. The Lakers know Milwaukee can use the offseason to try to make the team more competitive and persuade him to sign an extension, which he becomes eligible to do on Oct. 1, rather than accept trading him as an inevitability.

The first issue here is that Giannis has not requested a trade and the Bucks have given no indication that they would trade him without a request. There were some rumblings ahead of the deadline, but nothing came to fruition, echoing similar sentiments from year’s past.

If he does request a trade and does name the Lakers on his shortlist, the question then becomes if they have enough to win the bidding war among Antetokounmpo’s preferred teams. L.A. would be able to offer three first-round picks and three swaps on draft night this summer.

They also would have to figure out with Reaves if he would be willing to go to Milwaukee and if the Bucks want him back, as coordinating it as a sign-and-trade with Reaves might be the only way a deal gets done.

As it stands, all indications point towards trading for Giannis being a long-shot. But having cap space allows the flexibility to dream big without it completing disrupting long-term team building.

Luka Doncic calls Lakers organization better than Mavericks

One big way the Lakers could get Antetokounmpo on board is with some recruitment from Luka Doncic. And the Lakers star, by all accounts, has loved what he’s seen in the year-plus since arriving on the scene.

“I think the organization is better here. The Lakers are a truly legendary club and the organization is legendary too,” the Slovenian superstar blurted out.

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