Offseason Approach

Find a center and add depth for a title push

Actual Cap Space

-$65.3 million

Practical Cap Space

-$59.1 million

Projected Luxury Tax Space

$48.9 million

Under Contract (10)

Luka Doncic
Rui Hachimura
Bronny James
Trey Jemison III (two-way)
Maxi Kleber
Dalton Knecht
Shake Milton (non-guaranteed)
Austin Reaves
Jarred Vanderbilt
Gabe Vincent

View Roster

Potential Free Agents (7)

Dorian Finney-Smith (unrestricted – player option)
Jordan Goodwin (unrestricted – team option)
Jaxson Hayes (unrestricted)
LeBron James (unrestricted – player option)
Christian Koloko (restricted – two-way)
Alex Len (unrestricted)
Markieff Morris (unrestricted)

View Free Agents

Dead Cap (0)

None

Projected Signing Exceptions

Taxpayer MLE ($5.7 million)

Notable Trade Exceptions

None

First Round Draft Picks

None

Notable Extension Candidates

Luka Doncic (veteran extension – as of August 2)
Dorian Finney-Smith (veteran extension)
Rui Hachimura (veteran extension)
Maxi Kleber (veteran extension)
Austin Reaves (veteran extension)
Gabe Vincent (veteran extension)

Analysis

When the Los Angeles Lakers stunned everyone by trading for Luka Doncic, visions of a title started dancing in the heads of Lakers fans. The team ended falling well short of that goal. But the pieces are in place to gear up for another run this year.

Everything will start with LeBron James this offseason. He’s not leaving the Lakers, but how he continues with the team is an interesting situation. Will James simply opt in for $52.6 million? Or will the 22-year veteran superstar opt out and sign another one-plus-one deal?

If James does opt out, don’t expect a similar offer to take less money, as he was open to last offseason. That seems to have been a one-time deal. James will be back for $50 million or more next year.

From there, Dorian Finney-Smith is next up on the priority list. He’s got a $15.4 million player option for next season, but that’s less of a lock to be picked up. No one expects Finney-Smith to leave Los Angeles, but he may opt out and sign a long-term deal. That could benefit the Lakers, especially if Finney-Smith is willing to bring his salary down some for the upcoming season. Something in the range of $48 million over four years feels like a good middle ground for the 32-year-old forward and the Lakers.

After that, the Lakers have to add quality size this summer. Jaxson Hayes could be back, but it would have to be in a backup role. Hayes has performed well, but he’s not a starting level center for a team with championship aspirations.

The good news for the Lakers is that there are lot of centers available in free agency, and even more are expected to be available on the trade market.

Given that Los Angeles will, at best, have the $5.7 million Taxpayer MLE to offer, they need to be realistic about free agent center options. Players like Myles Turner, Naz Reid and Brook Lopez are probably out of the Lakers price range. But Clint Capela or Luke Kornet make sense. Both players are good around the rim on offense, which is a key with Doncic and James keying the offense. And both players can protect the rim and rebound on the defensive end. Getting either player for the Taxpayer MLE would be a steal for the Lakers.

Day’Ron Sharpe would offer similar production, but as he’s a restricted free agent, he’d have to be a sign-and-trade candidate. That gets tough for Rob Pelinka to pull off, given the Lakers are very likely to be a first apron team. Teams over the first apron can’t acquire a player via sign-and-trade. Santi Aldama would give Los Angeles a different look at the center position, but the same sign-and-trade restrictions exist.

That means the path towards adding a starting center could be via a standard trade. The good news for the Lakers? They have quite a bit of tradable salary available this summer. Before we touch core rotation players, Los Angeles could get up to $40 million outgoing salary. If they are open to moving Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura, that’s up to $32 million more in matching salary.

Who could the Lakers have eyes on trading for to fill the center spot? Nic Claxton has been long-rumored to be a target. Jakob Poeltl fills a lot of needs. Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas have been rumored targets in the past too. Jarrett Allen could be available too, if the Cavs pivot and break up their core group. He’ll cost the most of this group, but is also the best all-around player in this group too.

Different options, but more expensive in the immediate (in terms of salary), could include Nikola Vucevic or Deandre Ayton. Those guys don’t fit the rim-running, rim-protecting mode, but they are productive starting centers.

If the Lakers wanted to go with more cost-effective (at least in the immediate) options, they could look at Robert Williams III, Kelly Olynyk, Goga Bitadze, Zach Collins or Jalen Smith.

Without dragging this out forever, it should be clear that Los Angeles has a lot of options for acquiring a starting center this summer. Some are better than others, but the path is there to acquire any of the options listed above.

The Lakers will also be looking to add more shooting around Doncic and James. This free agent class is a bit light on affordable 3&D options, but there is shooting available. Some available 3&D options include Gary Trent Jr., Gary Harris and Dante Exum. Sam Merrill, Landry Shamet or Luke Kennard would make a lot of sense for Los Angeles as pure shooters on the guard line. Shooters with size include old friend Taurean Prince, Trey Lyles or Doug McDermott. All of these players should be available for a contract ranging from the veteran minimum to the Taxpayer MLE.

Beyond acquiring a starting center and adding shooting, look for Pelinka to aim for another veteran point guard. Could Chris Paul finally land with the Lakers on a minimum deal to finish his career at home in Los Angeles? Other options include Tyus Jones, Tre Jones, Monte Morries, Jared Butler, Cameron Payne and Cory Joseph.

Because Los Angeles has minimal spending power this summer, they’ll be active in the trade market. As referenced above, the Lakers have Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) as expiring salaries to offer in trades. Austin Reaves ($13.9 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($11.6 million) and Dalton Knecht ($4 million on Year 2 of his Rookie Scale deal) are all on affordable longer-term contracts.

Trading Reaves would be a difficult decision for the Lakers. They aren’t going to give him up in a deal that doesn’t bring back a major upgrade for the frontcourt. Reaves is really good, and despite not being a good defensive fit with James and Doncic, he is an outstanding offensive fit with them. He’s also on a great contract for at least one more year, before it’s very likely that Reaves opts out in 2026. Keeping it really simple: If Reaves is traded, it’s because the Lakers are making an attempt at a blockbuster type of acquisition.

As for extensions, keep an eye on Doncic and Reaves. There’s a good chance that Doncic signs the same kind of shorter-term extension that Donovan Mitchell inked with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because he’s no longer eligible for a super max extension, Doncic can do a shorter deal that is designed to allow him to sign for the 35% max when he hits 10 years of service in 2028. That’s the most likely path here for Los Angeles’ new superstar.

The other extension candidate is Reaves, if the Lakers don’t move him in a trade. He’ll be looking to cash in far bigger than the last deal he signed. Something in the range of $25 million per season makes sense, given Reaves ability to be a primary playmaker and scorer, even if that’s not always his role with Los Angeles. Locking up Reaves, alongside Doncic, would give the Lakers additional post-LeBron James security too.

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t sit pat this offseason. They’ve invested too much in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. It’s unclear how much longer James will continue to play, so it’s imperative to make the most of his remaining years. Doncic wants to win at a high level too. Look for the Lakers to add a quality center, some shooting and probably a veteran point guard. That would put them in the mix to challenge for a spot near the top of the Western Conference.