Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

JJ Redick was almost too scared to say it - Friday when the Lakers take the floor against the Clippers, they'll do it with a clean injury report. Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James are all expected to play. Deandre Ayton's knee seems to have recovered. For the first time ALL SEASON, Redick can choose a starting lineup out of preference, not necessity.  How often this scenario repeats itse...

Look, we live in a cynical world, where it's easy to focus on the downside of things. That's especially true when talking Lakers fandom, given the championship expectations that frame every season. But while there is joy in complaining for some, a lot of sports is about finding reasons to believe, even when belief is tough to muster. But while it might be too much to say the Lakers should be consi...

Among the many things reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin in his story about the Lakers as they emerge from the All Star break is this nugget about alignment between Luka Dončić and the front office on the plan to improve the roster. "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 t...

The Athletic's Dan Woike reports that Lakers president of business operations Tim Harris informed staff Tuesday that this will be his final season with the organization. Harris has been with the Forum and the Lakers for 35 years, so it's reasonable to view his departure as a normal thing someone does after being in one spot for that long.   On the other hand, it's also reasonable to wonder if his...

The Athletic's Dan Woike reports that Lakers president of business operations Tim Harris informed staff Tuesday that this will be his final season with the organization. Harris has been with the Forum and the Lakers for 35 years, so it's reasonable to view his departure as a normal thing someone does after being in one spot for that long.  On the other hand, it's also reasonable to wonder if his d...

The mission is clear for the Lakers this summer: Build a team that fits Luka Dončić not just for next season, but ideally two or three seasons beyond that. It won't be an easy task, because while the Lakers will have plenty of potential cap space to play with, they'll also have a ton of roster spots that need filling and not a ton of appealing free agents to spend money on.  There are always trade...

In the Western Conference, every little item can make a difference in where teams will land on the playoff seeding ladder.  That includes strength of schedule. Per Tankathon, the Lakers have the eighth toughest remaining among NBA squads. The toughies include 2 vs. OKC (both in APR), Denver twice, Houston twice, Phoenix twice, Minnesota, Clips, Knicks, Cleveland, Detroit and Boston (where Tatum wi...

The Big Three for the Lakers are undoubtedly a strong group. Luka is playing at an MVP level, Austin Reaves was a lock for an All-Star nod before he got hurt, and LeBron James made the team as a reserve.  Unfortunately, they've played a grand total of 152 minutes together in the 2025-26 season. Which is two minutes more than Drew Timme, two-way player who hasn't been on the team for the entire sea...

The good news is that Luka Dončić felt good enough to play in Sunday's All-Star Game, if only for a moment. Five minutes, scoring two points. Didn't seem any worse for wear, which isn't surprising because while the level of activity in this All-Star format was a little better than it had been in the last few, it was not a max-intensity workout.  After, Luka said he felt fine... but didn't say he'd...

If you look at their splits over the last six weeks, on a per minute basis there's no question that backup center Jaxson Hayes is playing better than starter Deandre Ayton. So should the Lakers made a change in the starting lineup?  It's a trickier question than it might seem. First, Ayton has been banged up, with a bum knee keeping him ou tof the lineup for the last three games. It's possible the...

LeBron James turned back the clock on Thursday, getting his first triple double of the season (28 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists) as the Lakers beat the Mavericks at the Crypt, 124-104. It was one of those games that reminded you of everything the Lakers are capable of, good and bad. At times, they were great defensively, clamping down on Dallas and holding them to 41 points in the second half. I...

The buyout market generally doesn't yield impactful players. Moreover, it can be tricky to find the right guy to fill the right role -- often buyout players need to rehab their value around the league, and will choose a destination with that in mind. Cam Thomas (one high profile FA), for example, was always unlikely to sign with the Lakers because they couldn't offer him the opportunity he needed....

Luka Dončić hoped he'd be available for Thursday's game against the Mavericks, because torturing the Mavericks is now and forever a priority for him. Alas, it is not to be. The Lakers announced Wednesday that Luka won't be in uniform.  He does, though, hope to participate in the All-Star Game this weekend, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. So is that a good idea? Would Luka be better off sitting...

The most interesting thing that came of Tuesday's blowout loss to the Spurs, one where the entire Lakers (preferred) starting lineup was in street clothes, is that LeBron James officially became ineligible for postseason awards. He won't reach the required 65 games, thanks to early season time missed because of sciatica, and then the maintenance required to get a 41-year old through an NBA season....

The Lakers were missing basically everyone. With Luka Dončić already out nursing that hamstring, the Lakers also sat LeBron James and Austin Reaves, both still avoiding back-to-backs (for different reasons). Marcus Smart? Street clothes. Deandre Ayton was downgraded to out shortly before the game.  So that left... not much as the Lakers welcomed San Antonio to the Crypt. And predictably, the Laker...

The Lakers have long been a lean, mom and pop organization, despite the incredible weath represented by the franchise, and its ability to produce tremendous revenue.  That's why Lakers fans were so excited when Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought the team. The feeling was that finally the Lakers would have the type of infrastructure their brand and wealth would seem to support. And over the weekend,...

There's no shame necessarily in losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, even when they're missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Lakers, after all, were without Luka Dončić.  Still, Monday's 119-110 loss at Crypto.com Arena was frustrating. The Lakers looked at different points like this game was going to get away from them. They kept turning the ball over, Oklahoma City was hitting 3's at a high rate....

The Lakers will be without Luka Dončić on Monday against the Thunder. But the good news is, at least according ot JJ Redick, the Lakers may not be without him for that long. Luka appears to have dodged the worst outcomes, and is considered day-to-day.  No question, the Lakers are going to be cautious with him, so it's certainly possible he'll sit out the final three games before the All-Star break...

The Lakers knew they'd be without Luka Dončić ahead of Saturday's 105-99 win over Golden State at the Crypt, thanks to a groin injury suffered the other night against Philadelphia. They learned shortly before it started that Deandre Ayton would join him in street clothes, thanks to knee soreness. It's hard to say the Lakers were sharp or looked particularly excellent on Saturday, but they won, and...

The game the Lakers played Tuesday against the Nets in Brooklyn went exactly as it should have. LA rolled a genuinely ghastly Nets squad, went up by nearly 40 and threw it in cruise control en route to a 125-109 victory that wasn't nearly as close as the final score might indicate.  Luka Dončić played well. LeBron James played well. Jake LaRavia finally got a few easy buckets to help lift his conf...

There are certain wins over the course of an 82-game season that seem to defy any explanation. The Lakers had one of those on Thursday, overcoming an incredibly sloppy first half and a second quarter injury to Luka Dončić to beat Philadelphia 119-115. This one was truly a team contribution. It starts with Austin Reaves, who had 35 points in only 25 minutes, using strong change of pace to get himse...

The Lakers made a small-but-positive move ahead of Thursday afternoon's NBA Trade Deadline, acquiring sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a second round pick.  It's a move that will help them on the margins this year, which is about as good as anyone could have expected since the team made it pretty clear it was prioritizing cap space and flexib...

Thursday morning brought good news for Lakers fans who wanted to see the team make a move, even around the margins. The team has acquired sharpshooter Luke Kennard from Atlanta in exchange for Gabe Vincent and their remaining tradable second round pick.  This is a good, low cost move for LA.  While he has shortcomings as a defender -- like, many shortcomings -- Kennard is a spectacularly good shoo...

The NBA Trade Deadline is Thursday, and it's looking more and more like the Lakers won't be willing and/or able to make a move.  It's looking like the two major forces influencing the team's approach — first a lack of appealing assets to offer another team, and a reported willingness and/or preference for keeping flexibility and opening cap space this summer — are winning out. Both of these strate...

Amidst the trade deadline madness, the league made a (very strange) announcement that Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes had been suspended for one game (Thursday vs. the Sixers) for shoving the Washington Wizards' mascot G-Wiz during the pregame warmups of Friday's win in D.C. Seriously. Jaxson Hayes got suspended for an altercation with a mascot. This happened. A quick reaction to the news, and h...