The Los Angeles Lakers have been eliminated from the 2025 NBA Playoffs. JJ Redick’s team fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Now, Rob Pelinka and the front office must begin retooling the roster around Luka Doncic.
Pelinka tried to begin that retooling process at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. However, he opted to rescind Mark Williams’ trade from the Charlotte Hornets after the rim-running big man failed a medical examination.
Well, it would appear Williams is still frustrated regarding Pelinka’s decision. Shortly after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, Williams took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a smiling face emoji.
Of course, the post itself is cryptic by nature. There’s no telling if Williams was “smiling” at the Lakers’ elimination. It will remain open for interpretation. However, the timing of the post lines up almost perfectly.
🙂
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Williams was supposed to fill the center void left behind when Anthony Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He would have given Doncic the type of lob-threat that he thrives playing next to. Unfortunately for both the Lakers and Williams, the trade wasn’t meant to be. Williams went back to the Hornets, where he played in 21 games between the trade deadline and the final game of the season.
During those outings, Williams averaged 14.9 points, 1.3 blocks, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. His size and rim protection would have been a huge boost to the Lakers’ postseason chances, especially against a Timberwolves team that has Rudy Gobert manning the middle of the floor.
LeBron James Trolls Lakers Front Office
Williams wasn’t the only player to fire a shot toward the Lakers on Wednesday. During his postgame news conference, LeBron James took a thinly veiled shot at Pelinka’s decision to trade Davis. His comments came when he was asked about what the Lakers need in order to improve.
“No comment,” James said. “My guy (Anthony Davis) said what he needed, and he was gone the following week.”
LeBron quickly laughed off his comments as a joke. However, it is true that Davis was very open with his desire for the franchise to add another big man to the rotation. With this team now set to be built around Doncic, it will be interesting to see how quickly Pelinka moves to solve the lack of talent in the middle of the floor.
LeBron James Hasn’t Decided on Lakers Future
LeBron just completed his age-40 season. He will turn 41 in December, just two months into the 2025-26 campaign. Furthermore, he holds a $52.6 million player option for next season. As such, his future, not just with the Lakers, but also in the NBA, will once again be a discussion point.
When asked about his potential retirement on Wednesday, LeBron quickly shut down the discussion. He noted how he will speak with his team and support networking before making a final decision.
“I don’t have an answer to that,” James said. “I’ll sit down with my wife, family and support group … have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. We’ll see.”
Despite his age, LeBron consistently proved that he was still a top-15 or top-20 player in the NBA this season. In 70 games, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He shot 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range.
Nevertheless, fans around the world will now be waiting to see whether LeBron will continue to play. For now, though, all eyes will be on Pelinka and the moves he makes to improve the roster.
