Former Los Angeles Lakers center and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, who won three of his four championships with the Los Angeles team, launched harsh criticism against the current version of his former team, which squandered a solid 50-32 regular season in 2024-25 and was completely outplayed by the lower-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in a first-round playoff elimination in just five games.
Following 103-96 victory in Game 5 of the series, O’Neal spoke candidly and didn’t hold back his opinion on the Lakers, even predicting what would be the worst-case scenario for many fans.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Criticism of the Los Angeles Lakers
The former player and NBA Hall of Famer took advantage of his platform on Inside The NBA to deliver a less-than-encouraging message.
“They’re gonna be like this for a while,” O’Neal said. “They’re not gonna make any moves this summer,” although this pessimism doesn’t seem entirely justified.
Rob Pelinka, the team’s current President, has a history of making significant moves, as evidenced by the acquisition of Luka Doncic to pair with LeBron James this season, which happened before the trade deadline.
In the summer of 2019, Pelinka opted to acquire Anthony Davis and reconfigured the roster en route to the 2020 championship. In 2021, he went after Russell Westbrook, a move that backfired and resulted in missing the playoffs. More recently, in the 2022-2023 season, he balanced the roster to salvage the season and lead the team to the Western Conference Finals.
Small forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who started in Game 5 after coach JJ Redick opted for a smaller lineup, holds a $15.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season. In contrast, former starting center Jaxson Hayes, who was relegated to the bench to make room for Finney-Smith, will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Veterans like Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.6 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) have easily tradable contracts, and the franchise has already shown a willingness to negotiate, even with first-round rookie Dalton Knecht.
LeBron James has a $52.6 million player option pending for the 2025-26 season, while Luka Doncic will be eligible for a max extension this offseason.
With several movable pieces and two future first-round picks at their disposal, the Lakers have room to maneuver and reconfigure their roster. One clear priority will be strengthening the center position, a weakness that was exposed during the postseason.
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