Dave McMenamin
Multiple Authors
A MONTH AFTER the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season ended with a disappointing second-round sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks were crowned NBA champions with their five-game Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs last week.
The depth of talent in the Knicks’ starting five and the abundance of youth and athleticism the Spurs possess showed the type of roster construction that is required to truly contend in the league. The Lakers certainly are no exception.
Identifying those holes is the easy part.
The ability to fill them, however, is not only what will determine whether the franchise has done its part in maximizing its roster around Luka Doncic, the elite scoring guard who will enter his second full season with the Lakers this fall, but will inform LeBron James‘ decision to return, too.
Those are the stakes for the Lakers these next few weeks.
The Lakers have three tradeable first-round picks (the No. 25 selection in the 2026 draft, plus in 2031 and 2033) and, potentially, nearly $50 million in cap space to use in free agency — or to trade for player(s) into that space.
But that money could dry up quickly, especially if the team has designs on returning a similar roster to the one that won 50 games for the second straight season and was one of the hottest teams in the league after the All-Star break before Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) suffered injuries in early April.
With as many as nine players from their 15-man roster entering unrestricted free agency, here are the five biggest questions facing the Lakers as they try to shape their future this offseason.
How will Luka’s influence be felt?
Doncic is spending the summer in Slovenia with his daughters, Gabriela and Olivia, but sources close to him told ESPN he is in “constant communication” with Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick.
Coming off a season in which he led the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game and finished fourth in MVP voting before a Grade 2 left hamstring strain sidelined him for L.A.’s postseason run, Doncic is finally healthy as he begins his offseason training.
He was cleared for basketball activities on May 28 — about 2½ weeks after their series against the Thunder finished, sources close to Doncic told ESPN.
“He’s in full go mode,” one source said.
While the 27-year-old Doncic is preparing for another season squarely in his prime, he has made one roster preference clear to Pelinka and Redick, sources said.
It’s the same one he made in the days after he first arrived in Los Angeles 16 months ago.
“Luka’s first and foremost desire is an A-list center,” the source said.
The reasoning goes beyond the obvious need to compete in the Western Conference with stars such as the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic, two players who finished above Doncic in the MVP vote this season.
A rim-running, lob-catching big man opens so much for Doncic’s already potent offensive game, and someone who can defend at the position too is necessary to contend with the best teams in either conference.
Which raises the question: What are the Lakers’ plans with their centers from last season — starter Deandre Ayton and backup Jaxson Hayes?
Ayton has a player option for $8.1 million for next season that he must exercise by June 29, or he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Hayes, who has been with the Lakers the past three seasons and obtained a Slovenian passport to be able to compete on the national team with Doncic, is also an unrestricted free agent and in line for a raise after playing for slightly above the veteran’s minimum salary.
And then there are the Lakers’ two biggest potential free agents, James and Reaves.
Doncic endorsed keeping that core together during his season-ending exit interview news conference.
“We had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with AR and Bron, it’s an unbelievable experience,” Doncic said. “They are two great players, and it was really fun to share the court with them.”
A source close to Doncic told ESPN that Doncic has kept in touch with James and Reaves since the season ended but hasn’t pitched either player on returning to L.A.
Most of their conversations, the source said, revolve around golf, as Doncic took up the sport in February and has bonded with his fellow links-obsessed teammates over it.
The team has kept Doncic informed as the draft and free agency approaches; there is an expectation from the six-time All-Star for the Lakers to present a near-immediate path to championship contention.
“Luka wants to be a championship team yesterday,” a source close to Doncic said. “Ever since the trade, they’ve always told us: ‘summer of ’26. We’ll show you in the summer of ’26.’ So, we are so excited that the summer of ’26 is here.”
What is the latest on LeBron?
James is also overseas, finishing up a family vacation before joining members of the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 2016 championship team for a reunion through England, Scotland and eventually St. Tropez in the French Riviera to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, sources told ESPN.
James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, is waiting until James finishes his trip to discuss whether he wants to play a 24th season and, if so, what his options would be.
“Believe nothing that’s out there because I haven’t had one conversation with him,” Paul said on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” last week. “At the end of the season, I made it clear that I would respect him and the family, because this is going to be a family decision for him.”
Paul told McAfee that “about 10 to 12” teams have inquired about James’ services.
Still, the prevailing sentiment, according to more than half a dozen sources around the league, is that James will likely return to the Lakers if he comes back, with the Golden State Warriors presenting a realistic second option.
The most the Warriors, as currently constructed, would be able to offer James is the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, $37 million less than what he made last season.
The Lakers technically could offer James a maximum of three years and $182 million to stay, but nobody around the league expects the team to offer James anywhere close to that.
However, L.A. could beat the Warriors’ offer with a deal in the $20 million to $30 million range, still re-sign Reaves and have money remaining to build out the rest of the roster.
Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania in June 2025, when James opted into the final year of his contract with L.A., that title contention remains James’ top priority.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.”
The Lakers’ 16-2 run from late February through the end of March showed James can still play top-level basketball, but their true potential never revealed itself in the postseason because of injuries.
“LeBron rocks with Luka,” one source close to James told ESPN, so continuing to be asked by Redick to play a complementary role next to Doncic does not figure to be a sticking point in James’ decision-making.
James told reporters after the season that his NBA future will be a family decision — and it can’t be overlooked that his eldest son, Bronny James, already has a partially guaranteed contract with the Lakers for next season.
1:17
J-Will: Lakers need to keep LeBron to help Luka’s leadership development
How about Reaves?
As ESPN reported months ago, Reaves intends to become a free agent instead of opting into his $14.9 million player options for next season, and the 28-year-old guard will be one of the best players on the market, coming off a career year in his fifth season.
Reaves averaged 23.3 points on 49% shooting (36% from 3), with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals, but played a career-low 51 games after being sidelined with a left calf injury around midseason and then an oblique injury that caused him to miss the start of L.A.’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers can offer him a five-year deal worth $241 million. The most any other team could present is four years and $179 million.
Pelinka, during an exit interview news conference with reporters, expressed confidence in Reaves’ return. “He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the Purple and Gold. … I think both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where he continues his prolific career here.”
Reaves has a $20.9 million cap hold, meaning L.A. will still have that nearly $50 million of cap space to negotiate with other free agents and be able to go above the cap to ink Reaves to a new deal.
If Reaves agrees to a contract below the max, it would provide L.A. with future roster flexibility, including helping to avoid the punitive measures put in place if it exceeded the second apron.
One team expected to have interest in Reaves is the Brooklyn Nets, multiple league sources said. The Nets have enough cap space to offer Reaves the four-year max deal and are still rebuilding after the short-lived Kevin Durant–Kyrie Irving–James Harden era.
Still, sources familiar with Reaves’ thinking told ESPN throughout the season that Reaves’ contract decision will not come down solely to a dollar figure. There will be various factors, including Reaves’ repeated stance that he would like to play his entire career with the Lakers.
Who are the Lakers targeting?
There are several restricted free agents the Lakers have already done their due diligence on, sources familiar with the team’s thinking told ESPN.
Two of them, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, would satisfy Doncic’s directive to secure an A-list center.
Two others, Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets and Tari Eason of the Rockets, are the type of 3-and-D archetypes who any team needs in order to succeed in the modern NBA.
The risk of pursuing an RFA, of course, is that the player’s current team has 48 hours to match, and L.A.’s available money would be tied up in that interim, making it a dangerous move.
Among the unrestricted free agents who would slot well alongside Doncic, Detroit’s Tobias Harris, Miami’s Norman Powell, Chicago’s Anfernee Simons, New York’s Mitchell Robinson, Charlotte’s Coby White, Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes, Cleveland’s Dean Wade and New York’s Landry Shamet all fit L.A.’s needs to varying degrees.
What about the rest of last year’s roster?
The Lakers are interested in retaining Marcus Smart and sharpshooter Luke Kennard, sources told ESPN.
Smart, who was recruited to L.A. by Doncic and has until June 29 to exercise the final year of his contract at $5.4 million, enjoyed his role with the Lakers and is hoping for a new contract and a raise, sources said.
Kennard, for his part, was on an $11 million expiring contract and has interest in making L.A. his long-term home after previously playing 2½ seasons with the LA Clippers.
Acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick at the trade deadline, Kennard averaged 11.5 points and shot 47.4% from 3 in the postseason, stepping into a larger role with Doncic out.
The biggest unknown is swingman Rui Hachimura. The 28-year-old forward followed up a strong regular season (11.5 points per game on 51.4% from the field and 44.3% from 3) with a brilliant playoffs (17.5 points on 54.9% overall and 56.9% from 3) while playing on an $18.3 million expiring deal.
Several league sources told ESPN they believe Hachimura could be the odd man out and that he might need to explore the market to find a desired deal.
However, if the Lakers decide to operate as an over-the-cap team, they would be able to retain all of their own free agents for whom they have Bird rights — including accommodating Hachimura — and also have the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, according to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks, to pursue outside free agents.
If the Lakers went this route, their main mechanism to change their core would be pursuing trades, perhaps attaching their future draft picks to players such as Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million) and Ayton, if he opts in, in order to land new talent in L.A.
