5 Burning Questions on the Los Angeles Lakers' Growing Roster Problems
The Los Angeles Lakers made their first splash in 2025 free agency by agreeing to a reported two-year, $12 million contract with forward Jake LaRavia. The 23-year-old is a solid get, but he doesn't address the Lakers' glaring need at center.
Instead of putting all energy into free agents like Brook Lopez (heading to the L.A. Clippers) or Clint Capela (to the Houston Rockets), or reconsidering Mark Williams (traded to the Phoenix Suns), the Lakers are stuck waiting the decision of Deandre Ayton, who's fresh off a surprising buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Ayton is the win-or-go-home solution for the Lakers. Whether they're able to sign him will dictate their steps forward this offseason.
The following are five burning questions and potential answers for what lies ahead for the Lakers in the coming days, weeks and possibly months.
If Deandre Ayton Chooses L.A., What's Next?
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Deandre Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, two selections ahead of fellow WME Sports client and Lakers star Luka Dončić. The Lakers' hope is that the relationship, including shared agent Bill Duffy, leads him to sign with them.
However, Ayton's decision to team up with Dončić may require him to sacrifice financially if another team is willing to offer him the full $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Ayton will earn $25.6 million from Portland this year, but the Lakers may only have about $8.3 million, depending on LaRavia's exact starting figure. Neither player can be sent to the Lakers at those amounts via sign-and-trade.
If Ayton is enticed by the opportunity with Dončić in L.A., the Lakers would suddenly have a legitimate 7'0", 252-pound center with career averages of 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. That's a game-changer for a team that had to rely almost entirely on small ball last year after trading Anthony Davis.
The Lakers would be hard-capped at the $195.9 million first apron, but they'd have enough room under it to re-sign Jaxson Hayes as a backup to Ayton, ink rookie Adou Thiero to a minimum salary for 2025-26 and add another rotation player at the minimum (perhaps guard De'Anthony Melton, who missed much of last year with a knee injury).
L.A. also might have access to the bi-annual exception ($5.1 million), but that would require precise calculations to stay under the apron restriction. The Lakers could make additional trades to shed salary and bring back rotation players.
Ayton was a productive starter for the Phoenix Suns and played a ton of minutes on their run to the 2021 NBA Finals. He was also an integral part of the Portland Trail Blazers' run midway through this past season.
Ayton may not have an All-Star nod on his resume, but he'd be a home run signing for the Lakers.
What If Ayton Doesn't Choose the Lakers?
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If Ayton chooses to sign elsewhere, the Lakers would face the same issue they've had in the last few years: no proven center.
That was slightly more manageable with Anthony Davis, although the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić proved to be a dead end to that approach. The issue was far worse against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs this past season. While Dončić can be the centerpiece of the Lakers for the next decade, he thrives best with an athletic lob threat who can defend.
The free-agent options at center were sparse, and the Lakers have already missed on the top choices. One alternative could be acquiring Nick Richards from the Phoenix Suns, who is in the final year of his contract at a relatively economical $5 million. Richards is an excellent backup center, but he's not the panacea.
The Lakers could use some of their remaining non-taxpayer mid-level exception to take him on. The Suns might welcome the luxury-tax savings, although the teams would likely quibble over who should compensate whom in the deal.
The Lakers could try to acquire Nikola Vučević from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for players like Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and/or Dalton Knecht. Vučević is one of the league's better scoring centers, but he'll turn 35 around opening night in October.
The benefit of Richards and Vučević is that their contracts are expiring. The Lakers may be less inclined to pursue Nicolas Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets, who is still owed $69.4 million over the next three years. Claxton is a better shot-blocker than Jaxson Hayes, but he's slightly shorter and lighter, and the Lakers want to get bigger, not smaller.
The Utah Jazz have a clear target in Walker Kessler, but they're believed to be asking the world for him from the Lakers. That he's under contract for nearly the same price as Knecht would help L.A. with its financial constraints.
There's also no sense that the Lakers have a shot at Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. Meanwhile, Daniel Gafford recently extended his contract with the Dallas Mavericks, although he remains trade-eligible.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like Isaiah Stewart II, as do the New York Knicks with Mitchell Robinson. Goga Bitadze, of the Orlando Magic, is better suited as a reserve. Robert Williams III (Portland Trail Blazers) struggles to stay healthy. The Toronto Raptors may extend Jakob Poeltl.
It would be much easier for the Lakers to sign Ayton, but that's up to the player, not the team.
What About LeBron?
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If LeBron James doesn't like the Lakers' answers, does he let his career wind down in Los Angeles with a whimper? That isn't his personality at all.
Currently, the Lakers don't appear interested in trading James. He has a no-trade clause, so the decision would start and end with the All-Star. At $52.6 million (with a potential $1.5 million trade bonus), James' salary would be difficult to move, but the Lakers are considering how to build around Dončić properly.
Not committing to James, the league's oldest player, rarely pays dividends. James could get fed up and try to force his way out, and the Lakers may (or may not) concede.
One possible path could be the Cleveland Cavaliers, where James' career began, as B/R recently explored in a complex, multi-team hypothetical. The Utah Jazz recently bought out Jordan Clarkson, so that framework would need to be tweaked. Still, a return of Jarrett Allen, De'Andre Hunter and depth could appeal to the Lakers if James is adamant about a trade and only agrees to return home to Cleveland.
Other possibilities include the New York Knicks (built around players like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and/or Mitchell Robinson) and the Dallas Mavericks, although it's more challenging to construct a combination of players whom the Lakers would consider. The franchise acquiring James would consider his age when offering talented young prospects and draft considerations. The Lakers aren't getting Cooper Flagg for James. That's not on the menu.
Instead, the Lakers may just let James depart after a final season, using the flexibility with multiple contracts expiring. The team could build around Austin Reaves, Dončić and enough spending power to land at least one max player via trade or free agency.
Top targets such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić will still be under contract, and players of that caliber rarely change teams. There's little reason at this early stage to assume the Lakers would be the favorite for either one given what they project to have available in a trade.
What's the Plan for Reaves?
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The Lakers were limited to offering Austin Reaves a four-year, $89.2 million extension this offseason, which he rejected. If (when) he turns down his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign, he'll likely fetch offers starting at $30 million or more as a free agent next summer.
That's assuming Reaves continues to average more than 20 points per game and helps the Lakers win games as the third scoring option alongside Dončić and James, at least.
Whether he's the perfect fit or not with Dončić long term isn't the question. Because Reaves cannot sign an extension at his perceived market value, any team that trades for him this season won't know for sure that he's staying. That leap of faith would probably cost the Lakers in what they receive in return for him.
In other words, the Milwaukee Bucks aren't likely to pivot on Giannis Antetokounmpo for Reaves and picks, especially with Reaves about to become a free agent.
Some teams would take that risk, but they may not pair up with what the Lakers need with Dončić. Jaren Jackson Jr. is set to extend with the Memphis Grizzlies in the next few days. The answer to the Reaves question may not be solved by the February trade deadline.
Instead, the Lakers may need to let Reaves get to free agency with a $26.5 million cap hold. Assuming Dončić signs an extension this summer and has a max salary in 2026-27 starting in the $57.8 million range, the Lakers would have the flexibility to spend in free agency or use their cap room for trades as long as they don't add long-term salary this season. That may be why Dorian Finney-Smith is headed off to the Houston Rockets.
After retaining Reaves on a raise, the Lakers could look to flip him before next year's trade deadline to a team that needs the assurance they get to keep him another 3-4 seasons.
These are long-term questions, and while Reaves may be moved sooner—it's difficult to say no one can be traded when the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world by moving Dončić—this looks like a tomorrow problem/solution for the Lakers.
What Happened with Finney-Smith?
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The onus is on the Lakers' front office to retain good players. Losing a player who was a positive force last year is difficult to explain.
The Houston Rockets are signing Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year, $53 million contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. L.A. "exercised discipline in its negotiations to preserve cap space for 2027, when the team expects to have space to sign a max-salary free agent," per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Still, if winning now is the most crucial task, then pay him and figure out the consequences later. Will Jake LaRavia and Adou Thiero replace what Finney-Smith gave? Perhaps, but the Lakers had a proven formula that just lacked a starting center.
However, what's done is done. The Lakers could try to persuade the Rockets to acquire Finney-Smith via a sign-and-trade, perhaps for cash or draft considerations. If so, Finney-Smith could bring back a player like Nick Richards from the Phoenix Suns—possibly even if Deandre Ayton signed.
There's a world in which the Lakers transition from Jaxson Hayes and no backup to Ayton, Richards, and Hayes, providing Dončić with the size support last year's squad sorely lacked.
Houston could refuse, and the Lakers can pursue the same path by sending out other players, but that requires teams willing to take in what L.A. has to offer.
The larger concern may be Dončić's feelings about losing a close teammate in Finney-Smith, with whom he previously played in Dallas with the Mavericks. The Lakers must keep him happy and under contract long-term, and there's no inked extension as of yet.
If the Finney-Smith decision boiled down to building a young, athletic roster around Dončić, that may be the right choice. However, the Lakers are potentially stuck between not committing to winning with James and setting themselves up for another unfulfilling season for a franchise accustomed to winning titles. That doesn't seem like the ideal path forward.
That's why the Ayton decision is so vital for the Lakers. He represents the missing piece that was lacking in last year's run. The soon-to-be 27-year-old could be a long-term fixture for the Lakers in whatever comes beyond what may be James' final year with the franchise.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
