Top NBA Voice Thinks the Lakers Should Not Run This Roster Back Next Season

The Los Angeles Lakers are down 1-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Luka Doncic is watching from the sideline with a hamstring injury, and the questions about next season are already louder than the series itself. One of those questions is about this roster, and ESPN's Mike Wilbon, one of the longest-running voices in the sport, has a clear answer.

Appearing on ESPN's Get Up, Wilbon was asked whether the Lakers should bring LeBron James back on a smaller deal, max out Austin Reaves, and try to compete for a title around that group again. He was not interested in that plan.

"No, not when I look at Oklahoma City and San Antonio and Minnesota. They're all ahead," Wilbon said. "Denver's got to make moves too. So you're going against another team that is ahead of you or right with you."

"[Austin] Reaves could help in a lot of places. ... [Does he] have to be with Luka and LeBron?"@RealMikeWilbon expects the Lakers to make big changes this off-season 👀 pic.twitter.com/IfbPFAFzYC
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 7, 2026

That framing matters. Wilbon is not saying the Lakers are a bad team. He is saying the West has moved ahead of them, and just putting the same pieces back together does not fix that gap. Then he got to Reaves specifically.

"There's some places where Reaves can help in a lot of places. He's a really good player. Does he have to be with Luka and LeBron? Really?" Wilbon said.

Austin Reaves Free Agency and Why Wilbon Thinks the Whole Roster Could Change

Reaves is heading into free agency this summer after opting out of his current deal. The Lakers are expected to offer him close to a five-year max contract. He had a strong regular season, but with Doncic out and Reaves still finding his rhythm after an oblique injury, the offense has looked limited in this series.

That is the reality the Lakers are sitting with right now. They are down in the series, their best player is watching from the sideline, and their second-best player is still shaking off an injury. And this offseason, they have to make big decisions with all of that in mind.

Wilbon then took it a step further.

"You think that Austin Reaves can't get traded? You think Jaylen Brown can't get traded? Any of them can be traded," Wilbon said. "Denver and the Lakers are two teams I'm looking at to have to improve their teams."

Beyond Reaves, LeBron's future is unsettled, Rui Hachimura is a free agent, Luke Kennard is as well, and the Lakers need to add length and two-way forwards around Doncic. The roster has real holes. Wilbon is not saying the Lakers are done. He is saying they need to be honest about where they stand, and that honest look starts with not pretending this group is one piece away.

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