Lakers head coach JJ Redick is bullish about the team’s offseason moves, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“I think with this group, probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together,” Redick said.

During the same press conference on Thursday, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka was asked whether he thought the Lakers — as currently constructed — are championship contenders.

According to Melissa Rohlin of The California Post, Pelinka suggested Los Angeles was still behind the Thunder and Spurs in the Western Conference hierarchy, but said the team was “on the path” to contention.

However, Redick had a different, unprompted take.

“I’m confident we’re going to develop as a team into a championship-level team this year,” Redick said.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

• Redick suggested Thursday that star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and center Walker Kessler are locks for the starting lineup, but the other two spots are up for grabs, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. “I’m pretty confident in three of the spots. The other two spots will not be two White guys,” Redick deadpanned. “Those are the two things that’s not changing.” Woike lists free agent additions Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle as candidates for a starting spot, noting that Williams has impressed the team during workouts ahead of training camp. Jake LaRavia and Sandro Mamukelashvili might factor into the starting lineup equation as well, and Redick praised the strides Adou Thiero has taken over the past couple months, Woike adds.
• Doncic hosted his teammates in his native Slovenia this summer after the front office attempted to assemble a roster to complement its best player. Doncic, who has made the All-NBA first team six times, released a 24-minute video on Friday (YouTube link) with some highlights from the team’s time in Slovenia. “It was amazing to have this time together,” Doncic said, according to Woike. “With so many new guys, I wanted to make sure we were building chemistry, and I think people will see that when the season starts. A trip like this is something I don’t think I would have been comfortable doing a few years ago, but it felt important to do, and I’m glad it happened.”
• In a new book about the Lakers that was produced in collaboration with the team, Doncic vowed to deliver the club another championship, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. “I’m not sure that I ever could have imagined being here,” Doncic reportedly wrote. “It’s a wonderful surprise and it feels amazing and now I desperately want what all Lakers want: To win it all.“
• Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report lists five forwards he thinks the Lakers might consider targeting on the trade market in 2026/27, including Derrick Jones Jr. of the Clippers and Julius Randle of the Nets.
• In case you missed it, we rounded up several of Pelinka’s most noteworthy quotes from Thursday’s media session.