As the Lakers walked off the Crypto.com Arena court on April 30 after a disappointing five-game loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was clear that changes would need to be made following back-to-back seasons of first-round playoff exits.

Even with Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter buying the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family over the summer in a stunning deal that is expected to close before the end of the year, the Lakers didn’t feel they needed to make changes as drastic as the ones made in recent years:

• Firing Frank Vogel and hiring Darvin Ham during the 2022 offseason;

• Revamping the roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis ahead of the 2023 trade deadline;

• Replacing Ham with JJ Redick as the head coach during the 2024 offseason;

• Trading Davis

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