“Ain’t Gon Win It This Year”: Former NBA Champion Believes No Free-Agent Signing Can Lead Lakers to the Championship in 2025

Joseph Galizia | 13/02/2025
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks on guard Luka Doncic (77) after he was hit in the face against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena

The Los Angeles Lakers received a huge upgrade to their team when they acquired Luka Doncic. That said, with Anthony Davis no longer on the squad, the popular franchise is without a serviceable big man, especially after their trade for Mark Williams fell through. Former NBA Champions Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson spoke about the Lakers’ woes during a recent episode of the “All The Smoke” podcast.

Barnes began by taking shots at the Charlotte Hornets for rescinding the trade to the Lakers at the last second, citing it as a primary reason that the Hornets are a “bad organization.” He then breaks down why Williams would have been a great pickup for the Lakers at this point in their season.

“Adding a Mark Williams, who is a lob threat, nearly a double-double guy. A young kid too. Could have really set them up for him to play his role and for this team to achieve what they need to achieve,” Barnes said.

Barnes mentioned that the Lakers “don’t have money” to get any big guys — adding that Jaxson Hayes isn’t experienced enough to help the team win in the playoffs. He then asked Jackson whether the team should make a play for JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard to bring more depth. Jackson agreed that McGee and Howard are available in the buyout market, but believes that no player can help the Lakers win it all this year.

“I mean Javale or Dwight Howard are the only people I can think of but regardless what they do they ain’t gonna win it this year in my opinion,” Jackson stated.

Jackson didn’t stop there. He expressed that the summertime is when the Lakers will really “make some moves” and figure out the type of team they want to be in the future. Barnes agreed, stating that most of the “pieces are there,” but that the Lakers need frontline help and depth to compete in the competitive Western Conference.

To plug their gaps at the 5-man spot, Pelinka and company did go out and sign Alex Len to a one year deal that stands at a reported $1.77 million. Having a serviceable big-man roam around the paint to wait for lobs from Luka à la his connection with Lively and Gafford is what makes the former Mav’s offensive firepower even more potent.

Many analysts are split on what the Los Angeles Lakers can do this season

The Lakers have been a hot topic recently, especially on ESPN’s First Take, where Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe clashed. Sharpe believes the Lakers can compete and predicted they’d reach the Western Conference Finals against the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder. Smith, however, disagreed strongly, suggesting Sharpe should be “drug tested” for such a claim, and remains in the camp of analysts who think the Lakers won’t go far this season.

Gilbert Arenas takes it one step further. The former point guard claims that the Lakers could easily hang with the defending champion Boston Celtics. His major points revolved around Doncic and LeBron James sharing the court, opening up more driving opportunities, free throw attempts, and limiting double-team attempts for both players.

Post Edited By: Samir Mehdi
Los Angeles Lakers Matt Barnes Stephen Jackson

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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