Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

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Luka Dončić Won't Play for Slovenia This Summer, Trusts Lakers, Wants Reaves Back May 13, 2026

Show notes

Luka Dončić announced earlier this week on his IG page that he won't be playing for Slovenia this summer. He cited his ongoing custody dispute and the demands travel would bring as the reason, as opposed to his injured hamstring, but for the Lakers the effect is the same. It means that Luka will have a full summer to heal, train and essentially repeat last year's Summer of Luka. They'd never ask him to skip international play—the Lakers know how important it is to Luka—but the organization surely is more than happy for Dončić to avoid extra play and focus on getting his body together and trying to make that hamstring as strong as possible.

So the inciting incident certainly sucks, but the upside for the org is there nonetheless.

Moreover, reporting indicates that Luka is quite pleased with life in LA, and has been impressed by new owner Mark Walter. And, for what it's worth, he'd like to see Austin Reaves return.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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JJ Redick, Rob Pelinka Outline Priorities. Plus, the Lakers Get Dodgerfied! May 13, 2026

Show notes

Tuesday in El Segundo, the Lakers braintrust laid out some of the big organizational priorities going forward. Things like building meaningful depth - the kind that's modeled after teams like OKC and San Antonio, even if that standard isn't immediately reachable. They want to improve player development. And they want the organizational infrastructure to improve.

Now, the latter has a lot to do with new owner Mark Walter, who is quickly implementing the Dodgers blueprint at the Lakers facility. That's going to mean better medical, training and rehab capabilities, as well as more personnel in important places.

All of it will help the Lakers leverage the franchise's vast wealth in ways casual fans probably assumed they were already... but weren't.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: How JJ Redick views depth.

SEGMENT 2: Player development, too?

SEGMENT 3: The Lakers are getting Dodgerfied!

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Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick Reflect on This Season, and the Challenges Going Forward May 12, 2026

Show notes

JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka met the media Tuesday in El Segundo following Monday's season-ending loss to the Thunder at Crypto.com. The disappointment was muted by, frankly, the inevitability of the result once Luka Dončić got hurt, and because of that it was easier to focus on the successful nature of the season. 53 wins, above expectations for most projections, and what would almost certainly have been a 3-seed if not for late injuries to Luka and Austin Reaves. They won a round in the playoffs against expectations, and over the course of the year continued to establish solid culture under Redick.

The hard part, though, is coming. The Lakers have significant ambition, and a great deal of pressure to improve the team. Maybe not closing the gap between them and OKC in one summer, but making a lot of progress.

Pelinka will have to do it with some potential cap space to work with, three first round picks he can trade and... not a whole lot else. The Lakers lack desirable contracts to trade to teams looking for flexibility. They don't have any really appealing young players, either. Not the kind that bring back premium players, at least. For every player they let go to create flexibility, that's another player they have to replace.

It won't be easy, but that's the assignment.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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Lakers Fight Hard, but Thunder Complete Sweep, Eliminate the Lakers 115-110 May 12, 2026

Show notes

The final score was a lot more respectable, but the end result was the same. A fourth straight loss for the Lakers to the Oklahoma City Thunder, completing the 4-0 sweep and ending the 2025-26 season.

Without Luka Dončić, the Lakers really didn't have much of a shot at beating OKC over the course of the series. The hope was to try and steal a game or two and see what might happen. The Thunder never opened the door to the possibility. Monday, the Lakers put an enormous amount of effort and intensity into a game in a series they knew they weren't going to win, and it just wasn't enough. Austin Reaves had some serious highlights, but also turned the ball over in critical moments. Marcus Smart left it all out on the floor, too, but he also was bit by the turnover bug. If this was LeBron James's last game with the Lakers (or even in the NBA, with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

But both James and Reaves missed good looks down the stretch, while OKC's shotmakers came through. That was enough to make the difference.

So now an offseason with a ton of questions for the Lakers, and a lot of hopes for moves that will reconstruct a championship caliber team around Luka. Or, at the least, start the franchise down a clear path to get there. (Because making up the gap between themselves and OKC in one offseason might be too tall an order.)

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers push, but ultimately fall short in Game 4.

SEGMENT 2: Good, even great moments, but killer mistakes from LA's stars.

SEGMENT 3: The offseason begins.

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Why Adou Thiero Should—and Will—Keep Getting Minutes as Long as the Lakers are Alive May 11, 2026

Show notes

Insofar as the series against Oklahoma City is concerned, there's not been all that much to get excited about. Even when the Lakers manage to play well, they're still getting overrun by a deeper, more talented Thunder squad.

One exception has been the play of Adou Thiero. It's not that he's put up huge numbers in relatively short minutes—though eight rebounds in 13 minutes of Game 2 action certainly ain't bad—but what he's bringing to the floor in terms of additional burst and athleticism. Relative to his teammates, the explosiveness is incredible. Thiero is incredibly raw from a basketball perspective, but if he can figure out how to bring it together, finding some niche as an offensive player while developing a greater awareness defensively, the Lakers will have something in their second rounder.

It's nice to have some hope around a young player. JJ Redick will almost surely play Thiero somewhere in that 10-15 minutes of real time against real players first because his other options aren't great -- Jarred Vanderbilt is injured, and isn't exactly a favorite of JJ's anyway -- and Jake LaRavia has been pretty bad. But more than that, the value of 15 minutes for Thiero (and by extension the Lakers) is far greater. This experience will serve him well when the Lakers return to the playoffs, and Thiero is (hopefully) a more regular part of the rotation.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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Can the Lakers Avoid a Sweep? Plus... Problems With Reaves and at Center May 11, 2026

Show notes

It's not the effort, it's (at least part) the execution (though not in everything) and the opponent that explains why the Lakers are down 3-0 heading into Monday's Game 4 with the Thunder.

No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit, and it feels... unlikely... that the Lakers will be the first. Game 4 becomes a referendum on professional pride. How hard do the Lakers try to cut? How effectively do they set a screen? Rotate on D? Put a body on someone to box out? Now, they could do all of those things and still lose by a comfortable margin, but that's a lot better than just rolling over and just counting down the moments until the offseason arrives.

And individual Lakers, starting with Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton, have plenty to play for.

So we'll see what happens.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers are trying their best, but their best isn't nearly good enough.

SEGMENT 2: Problems in the paint.

SEGMENT 3: Problems with Austin Reaves.

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Lakers Overwhelmed in Game 3, Lose by 23 as Reaves and LeBron Both Struggle May 10, 2026

Show notes

Well, at least they didn't lose by 18.

Instead, after a strong first half the Lakers were again overwhelmed in the second, and lost Game 3 to the visiting Thunder, 131-108. This time, it was the team's stars that simply couldn't get it going. Both Austin Reaves and LeBron James struggled -- Austin was 5-13 from the floor, and LeBron was 7-19, and while they had 17 assists between them, they also combined for eight turnovers. Put simply, the Lakers have very little chance of winning when only one of those guys is off. That percentage drops to zero when both of them struggle.

For Reaves, the problems realy came in the third quarter, when the assists he'd piled up in the first two quarters (eight overall, with only one TO) became a string of turnovers. The Lakers, who were hot from the floor in the first half, went very cold.

The third quarter became a parade of turnovers, and that was basically that. A two point lead at the half became an 11-point deficit going into the fourth.

The Lakers have done an admirable job competing in a series they have no realistic chance of winning. Saturday feltlike the first time they genuinely folded (not quit) against OKC's relentless pressure. Credit the Thunder for never letting off the gas. Teams will occasionally let the foot off the pedal up a couple games in a series they're controlling. OKC doesn't do that. Nor do they get any drop off when the subs come in.

We'll see what happens Monday in Game 4, but unless they can raise their level or OKC lets off the gas, things may not get back to OKC.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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Is "Playoff Rui" Changing How the Lakers Have to Approach Free Agency? May 08, 2026

Show notes

When analysts note the big plans for LA's upcoming offseason, it's often in the context of opening up large amounts of cap space for Rob Pelinka and Co. to fill with a host of players that complement Luka Dončić. When people talk about maximizing the amount of money available, it means chucking virtually everything that can be tossed overboard. That's all the expiring contracts, and maybe some dead weight on the roster.

Of course, every player that they cut ties with must be replaced in one way or another. The problem becomes figuring out whether the players available are better than the guys in house. Not so tough with stars, but role players? That's tricky.

Take Rui Hachimura. For the last three seasons, he's been solidly above 40 percent from 3-point range. In the playoffs, he consistently elevates his shooting, to the point he's got the best 3-point percentage in NBA postseason history. Rui also has a nifty, and useful, midrange game, and some athleticism that has benefitted LA. Of course, Rui also is a lousy rebounder, and dishes about eight assists a year. His defense is improving, but will never be confused for some DPOY candidate out there.

He makes about $19 million, and is probably in line to make somewhere between $15-20 a year going forward. Is he worth keeping? Would the Lakers do better on the market? Could they replace Rui's shooting with a player that fits a little better with the roster they envision building around Luka?

Tough questions, for sure.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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The Lakers Fight Hard, but Still Lose Big in Game 2, 125-107 May 08, 2026

Show notes

On the one hand, the Lakers played very hard, and they made a good game of Thursday's Game 2 in Oklahoma City.

On the other, in the end, the Lakers still lost by 18. Again. Final score, 125-107.

The game was more competitive than the final score would indicate, but the final score still indicates the Thunder won pretty comfortably. For the Lakers, there were some genuine bright spots. LeBron James again had an efficient evening, finishing with 23 points on 9-18 shooting. Rui Hachimura's playoff shooting heater continued, hitting four of his seven 3-point attempts. Deandre Ayton had 10 rebounds. And critically, Austin Reaves bounced back with a 31-point, six assist effort, and hit three of his six triples. It wasn't perfect -- 5 TOs including a couple particularly ugly ones -- but overall this was a fine effort against a brutally tough Thunder defense.

LA again did a good job on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but once again OKC's bench was excellent. That's depth the Lakers simply can't compete with.

All in all, the first two games went as expected. The Lakers are playing hard, doing a lot of things well, but aren't nearly equipped to deal with the Thunder.

We'll see what they can do Saturday in Game 3.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers fight, still lose.

SEGMENT 2: Austin Reaves bounces back.

SEGMENT 3: Any hope coming home?