The word future has been an ongoing theme for the Lakers this summer.<\/p>\n
What is the future for LeBron James? Will the Lakers be aiming to win now or just preparing for the future? Is Luka Don\u010di\u0107 going to commit to the future by signing an extension?<\/p>\n
Well, we\u2019ve gotten answers to most of these questions by now.<\/p>\n
LeBron is a Laker and while he has been in prime passive-aggressive mode<\/a>, ultimately, he doesn\u2019t appear to be going anywhere. Luka signed a three-year, $165-million extension<\/a>, so there is no fear that he will walk away anytime soon.<\/p>\n When it comes to whether the team is aiming to win now or during upcoming seasons, it\u2019s clear everyone, including 26-year-old Luka, is in win-now mode.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I think we have a great team,\u201d Luka said during his contract extenstion press conference. \u201cWe have what we need to compete for a championship. I will\u2026try to win every game no matter what and we\u2019ve got some new great guys joining the team. You know we\u2019re going to go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Luka is as fierce a competitor as they come. The thought of him being okay with having a decent team while they wait for potential free agents a summer from now was always asinine.<\/p>\n He is now, unequivocally, the most important player on this team. He wants to win and while the Lakers didn\u2019t make a massive move this summer, they made improvements to their roster.<\/p>\n President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka said he \u201clikes the upgrades\u201d<\/a> they\u2019ve made and while LeBron hasn\u2019t commented on the 2025-26 Lakers, we know all he wants to do is have a shot at a championship.<\/p>\n The messaging may have been drama-inducing, but all the key figures within the Lakers want the same thing: the best chance possible to win the 2025-26 NBA title.<\/p>\n Luka has already tasted the NBA Finals back in 2024 and despite joining midseason, he was able to find succes as a Laker, helping the team win 50 games and earn a No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n His response hasn\u2019t been to kick up his feet, coast and take the bag L.A. offered him. Instead, he\u2019s been hard at work with insane summer workouts<\/a> and seems ready to enter this upcoming season in the best shape of his career.<\/p>\n Add that and LeBron still being an All-NBA player, L.A.\u2019s improved roster and head coach JJ Redick being a basketball sicko and it\u2019s not hard to imagine the Lakers will be a problem for NBA teams next year.<\/p>\n The goal in L.A. is always banners and with Luka as the epicenter of Lakers basketball, that will not be changing.<\/p>\n You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88<\/a> or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n