Lakers' Free Agency Outlook and Top Contract Decisions Following Trade Deadline
How early is too early for NBA teams to start thinking about the upcoming offseason?
Never.
Sure, the Los Angeles Lakers players and coaches are laser-focused on their playoff push, but the front office is surely busy constructing its plan of attack for this summer. We'll adopt the same mindset here while examining the club's upcoming free agents, analyzing some of their toughest decisions and exploring some alternate paths.
Upcoming Free Agents
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Officially, the Lakers have little settled for the future beyond the twosome of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those are their only players with contracts stretching beyond the 2023-24 season, and most that have pacts for that campaign aren't guaranteed to play them out.
Unofficially, though, L.A. started putting its summer plans into motion at the trade deadline.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka described the team's deadline moves as "pre-agency," per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Pelinka went on to characterize Rui Hachimura (restricted), D'Angelo Russell (unrestricted), Malik Beasley (team option), Jarred Vanderbilt (partial guarantee) and Mo Bamba (non-guaranteed) as "core players."
Beyond that quintet, L.A. also has Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Schröder, Austin Reaves (restricted), Troy Brown Jr. and Wenyen Gabriel on expiring contracts. Davon Reed's 2023-24 salary is non-guaranteed.
Toughest Decisions
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Russell was initially drafted by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick in 2015. Since that time, he has suited up for three different franchises before returning to L.A. in a deadline deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He has earned one All-Star selection and generally impressed with his counting categories (career 17.7 points and 5.7 assists per game), though he has struggled with efficiency and is perhaps most kindly described as an inconsistent defender. That'll make him a tricky player to price, though L.A. could have interest in extending his deal before he hits the open market.
"I think D'Angelo has shown a lot of growth since we had him here," Pelinka said. "We do see him not just as a player that's a short-term rental."
Hachimura is the other big-ticket player who could force the Lakers into some tough decisions. The former top-10 pick (No. 9 in 2019) has a wealth of physical tools and is a strong inside-the-arc scorer, but he isn't a playmaker, doesn't make the defensive impact his frame suggests he should and doesn't shoot the three-ball with a ton of volume or efficiency.
Alternatives
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While the Lakers could keep a big chunk of their free agents, they'll have some roster holes to fill—maybe large ones depending on how things go with Russell and Hachimura.
So, how can they go about filling them?
Well, they only traded away one of the future first-round picks they're allowed to move, so they could still put the 2029 first in play if the right trade target becomes available. They could also sweeten the pot with a young player like Max Christie or Reaves in a sign-and-trade.
They could also create significant cap space, but they'd have to essentially jettison everyone not named James, Davis or Christie. That would obviously strip away the depth they've built, but if they think a certain free agent (cough, Kyrie Irving) is worth it, they probably wouldn't let a handful of role players stand in their way.
The Lakers can also plug a couple of gaps on draft night, as they'll have a first-round pick (their own or the New Orleans Pelicans') and their second-rounder.
