# How Can the Lakers Close the Gap Between Them, San Antonio and Oklahoma City?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/locked-on-lakers-daily-podcast-on-the-los-angeles-lakers-174397/how-can-the-lakers-close-the-gap-between-them-san-antonio-and-oklahoma-city
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/locked-on-lakers-daily-podcast-on-the-los-angeles-lakers-174397/how-can-the-lakers-close-the-gap-between-them-san-antonio-and-oklahoma-city.md
Podcast: [Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers](https://stenobird.com/podcast/locked-on-lakers-daily-podcast-on-the-los-angeles-lakers-174397)
Published: 2026-05-19T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-lakers/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/eb23db/lockedon.simplecastaudio.com/c593713c-dc78-452c-bfcd-8dced052a6fd/episodes/174775d5-846a-4c9a-ab73-12adb4258c80/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=c593713c-dc78-452c-bfcd-8dced052a6fd&awEpisodeId=174775d5-846a-4c9a-ab73-12adb4258c80&feed=x50dM5D_
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Duration seconds: 2238

## Resource

The Lakers -- and every other team in the West and the NBA more broadly -- have a problem. As we all saw in Game 1 of the Conference Finals Monday between the Thunder and San Antonio, these are two teams that are not only incredibly good right now, they're poised to stay incredibly good for a while. Or even continue to get better. (Wemby, Steph Castle and Dylan Harper are 22, 21 and 20, respectively.) So what does that mean for the Lakers? Well, first of all, it puts a ton of pressure on Rob Pelinka, who knows he has a big gap to make up to make the Lakers true title contenders. He has to make the team better this offseason, and must do it with limited resources. He has to maximize all the assets available to him. He has to find ways to uncover a few more gems along the lines of Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves -- guys that are cost controlled and wildly outperform their contracts. Basically, the opposite of Jarred Vanderbilt. Easier said than done, no question. At least the Lakers are better prepared financially to do what they can in order to make up the gap. If there's a place where infrastructure can help the Lakers catch up, with new owner Mark Walter they'll spend that money. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers have a problem, but so does everyone else. SEGMENT 2: The challenge for Rob Pelinka. SEGMENT 3: How Mark Walter helps. Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGYThe funfetti flavor is BACK on https://5hourEnergy.com or…

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## Transcript

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