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Yet another NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Some pretty good players got moved, but nowhere near the number of big names that were said to be on the trade market.
The Lakers were among the teams that made a move as they shed Gabe Vincent and a 2nd round pick in exchange for Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks.
It's not necessarily a move that moves the needle or vaults the Lakers instantly into championship favorites, but Kennard is a clear upgrade from Vincent.
MORE: Lakers land $11 million sharpshooter at the trade deadline. Is it enough for Pelinka's case?
The Lakers were a team that was reportedly looking forward to this summer rather than trying to go all in at the deadline with limited assets. Not only will they have more picks to use in a trade, but their current roster configuration will lead them to have plenty of cap space.
The Lakers have big plans this summer, and the league is taking notice.
Anonymous NBA executive: "It's going to be scary."
This past summer, the Lakers were involved in the largest sale of an NBA team in history when they were sold to Mark Walter.
Walter is a tycoon in the world of sports, owning the Dodgers and now the Lakers, while also having stakes in Chelsea FC and Cadillac's F1 team. Those other organizations are no strangers to success, especially the Dodgers as of late, and the Lakers are looking to replicate that.
In an article by the Athletic's Dan Woike, he writes how the Lakers are looking to have a big summer, largely in part to them aggressively building out their front office to mirror that of the Dodgers.
The Lakers are lined up for a Giannis Antetokounmpo chase. The plan, though, has to be bigger than that. (Gift link) https://t.co/EqVnRw2xds
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 6, 2026Woike notes that, for the Lakers, building out a modern front office will include "significant hires to a wide range of front-office positions this summer." They're expected to try to model their front office after the Dodgers.
This news, paired with their incredible upcoming cap space this summer, has at least one NBA executive saying, "It's going to be scary."
They'll be heavily pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo after he went untraded at the deadline, but even if they're not able to land him, they'll have the cap space to finally build out a team with their newest star, Luka Dončić, in mind.
Whatever happens this summer, the Lakers are primed to go into next season looking like a much more elite organization from top to bottom.
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