Lakers' Updated Roster, 2026 NBA Salary Cap After Deandre Ayton Trade in Free Agency

Following their acquisition of center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz this week, the Los Angeles Lakers moved on from incumbent starting center Deandre Ayton on Friday.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers agreed to send Ayton to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and second-round draft picks in 2031 and 2032.

With Ayton gone and LeBron James set to sign elsewhere at any moment as well, the Lakers' current roster for the 2026-27 season is as follows:

• Luka Dončić (G)
• Austin Reaves (G)
• Walker Kessler (C)
• Jarred Vanderbilt (F)
• Jake LaRavia (F)
• Quentin Grimes (G)
• Collin Sexton (G)
• Sandro Mamukelashvili (C)
• Jaden Hardy (G)
• Dalton Knecht (F)
• Cameron Carr (G)
• Bronny James (G)
• Adou Thiero (F)

Per Spotrac, the Lakers are $105.263 million over the salary cap, but they remain under both the first and second aprons.

ESPN's Bobby Marks broke down the Ayton trade for both L.A. and Washington, noting that the deal improves the Lakers' draft capital and provides the Wizards with a trade exception:

Perhaps most notably for the Lakers, though, it opens up a roster spot which they can use on a reserve big man who more closely resembles the play style they're looking for.

Per Charania, the Lakers are considering Andre Drummond, Jonas Valančiūnas and Kevon Looney in free agency to serve as Kessler's backup next season.

After news broke earlier this week that LeBron would not be re-signing with the Lakers, general manager Rob Pelinka went to work and reshaped the entire roster around Dončić and Reaves.

It started with the acquisition of Kessler, followed by the rapid-fire signings of Mamukelashvili, Grimes and Sexton.

Now, the Lakers have shipped out Ayton after he started 72 games last season and averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per contest.

His role was set to diminish significantly with Kessler in the fold, so bringing in a player more familiar and comfortable with being a backup was a logical move on L.A.'s part.

On top of that, the Lakers now have a promising guard in Hardy, who averaged a career-high 9.2 points per game last season and shot 39.7 percent from three-point range.