Lakers' Top NBA Free Agency, Trade Targets After Austin Reaves Contract Amid LeBron James Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers took care of their biggest piece of free-agent business on Wednesday by agreeing to a new deal with Austin Reaves.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Reaves will sign a four-year, $185 million max contract that includes a player option for the 2029-30 season.

Even though there was little concern about Reaves leaving, he was going to have a market with teams like the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets believed to have interest.

By getting an agreement done now, the Lakers have the ability to plan the rest of their offseason knowing Reaves and Luka Dončić will account for approximately $90.8 million in combined salaries next season.

The next potential domino to fall will be LeBron James, who is expected to remain with the Lakers if he doesn't retire. It would be in the team's best interest to get an answer from James, whatever he decides, sooner than later because his $59.5 million cap hold represents a large chunk of their remaining flexibility.

James and Rui Hachimura are the obvious candidates to be Lakers next season given their connection to the club and the team holding their Bird rights, allowing them to exceed the salary cap to bring both back.

One potential outside addition to keep an eye on to solve their center issues is Jarrett Allen in a potential trade as the Cleveland Cavaliers look to get out of the second apron in order open up some financial wiggle room.

Sign LeBron James

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James' situation is one of the most interesting stories of the offseason because it's the first time he doesn't necessarily have leverage for a max salary.

The only time James has signed for less than the max, not counting his rookie contract, was when he joined the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade with the Cavs in the summer of 2010.

Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times suggested on Spectrum SportsNet a two-year, $50 million contract from James from the Lakers. ESPN's Bobby Marks tossed out a one-year, $30 million deal with a full no-trade clause.

Other teams that have been mentioned as potential landing spots for James include the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, though it's unclear right now how much enthusiasm he would have about joining either team.

Given that all signs right now point to James returning to the Lakers, it's probably safest to assume he will remain in Los Angeles for at least one more season.

The Lakers did seem to find something late last season when James took on a lesser role in the offense to support Dončić and Reaves. They went 16-2 from Feb. 28-March 31 before Dončić injured his hamstring against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

That alone might be enough to convince James the Lakers could compete for a title if everyone stays healthy going into the postseason.

Sign Rui Hachimura

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There's an argument for the Lakers to prioritize Hachimura over James in free agency.

Even though no one would argue Hachimura is a better player than James, his fit on a team that already has Dončić and Reaves as the primary ballhandlers needs more spacing.

Hachimura is also 13 years younger and coming off the best three-year stretch of his career. He has shot over 50 percent overall and better than 40 percent from three in every season since the 2023-24 campaign.

The case against Hachimura is he's not an impactful defender on the wing, and that's a problem because the Lakers need help on that end of the floor given the limitations of Dončić and Reaves.

One reason for the Lakers to retain Hachimura is they can operate as an over-the-cap team by signing him and still have access to the $15.1 million nontaxpayer mid-level exception, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

There aren't a lot of high-level free-agent candidates this offseason, so the best path for the Lakers right now might be running it back with most of the main core they had in 2025-26, hope everyone stays healthy for the playoffs and figuring things out next summer when the list of free agents could include Anthony Davis, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert.

Trade for Jarrett Allen

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ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Wednesday on ESPN 850 in Cleveland that the Lakers would be very willing to orchestrate a sign-and-trade that sends James to the Cavaliers in order to acquire Jarrett Allen.

That would require James to sign off on wanting to play for the Cavs again, and to this point that doesn't really seem to be a strong consideration for the future Hall of Famer.

The center position is one of the biggest flaws for this Lakers team, but there don't seem to be many who they will have a shot at. Walker Kessler is the dream target, but he is a restricted free agent and the Utah Jazz are expected to match any offer sheet he receives if they can't work out a long-term deal.

Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein would also fit on the Lakers, except The Athletic's Dan Woike noted both are "far more likely" to remain with their current teams than enter free agency.

Woike did suggest Yves Missi and Robert Williams III as potentially realistic options for Los Angeles.

One of the biggest issues the Lakers have had since acquiring Dončić is finding the right center to take advantage of rolling to the basket in pick-and-roll situations.

The Lakers also need a strong defensive presence in the paint because Dončić and Raves aren't known as stoppers on that end of the court.

Allen would instantly be the best big man Dončić has played with since the tandem of Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively II when the Dallas Mavericks made the NBA Finals during the 2023-24 season.

It's certainly a long shot that the Lakers could land Allen in a trade, but they might be looking to swing for the fences as they try to catch up with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs atop the Western Conference.