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Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images In this story: Los Angeles Lakers
After pulling off one of the most stunning trades in NBA (and, perhaps, sports) history by obtaining 26-year-old superstar guard Luka Doncic in exchange for 32-year-old center Anthony Davis (plus a few other elements on either side), Los Angeles Lakers team president Rob Pelinka faces an intriguing summer of roster-building.
The Lakers were obliterated by the lower-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in an expedient five-game first round playoff series this spring. Minnesota went on to advance to its second straight Western Conference Finals berth, where it was roundly outplayed by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his NBA Finals-bound Oklahoma City Thunder.
Final pic.twitter.com/BbMHMWuOwr
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 1, 2025
Assuming 21-time All-NBA power forward LeBron James picks up his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26, and 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith opts into his $15.4 million option, the Lakers will be above the league’s salary cap, but beneath both of its luxury tax aprons.
That should free up Los Angeles to sign solid free-agent players using its non-taxpayer midlevel exception and bi-annual exception.
Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times also argues that the Lakers need to look into cost-effective pickups beyond these mechanisms, like minimum signings and L.A.’s No. 55 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“Finding rotation players who can play on rookie and minimum contracts is one of the keys to building depth,” writes Woike. “When the Lakers won the championship in 2020, Alex Caruso, Dwight Howard and Kyle Kuzma were all on bargain deals. This year in the playoffs, the Lakers’ ‘cheap’ players were Jaxson Hayes and Jordan Goodwin.”
Hayes, a minimum signing in the summer of 2023, and Goodwin, a two-way player who was promoted to a standard roster role, could both depart this summer. The Lakers have a $2.3 million club option on Goodwin for 2025-26, while Hayes is an unrestricted free agent.
“Trouble is that every team is looking for help like this and they’re all fishing in a free-agency pool that’s generally regarded as weak, especially when it comes to players who scouts think could be both affordable and improving,” Woike adds.
It would behoove the Lakers to explore trade options and their non-minimum signing possibilities first. Still, as Woike points out, Pelinka has managed to uncover big contributors on cheap deals before.
“Luckily, when it comes to this type of player, situation and opportunity, as well as system and fit, are as important as talent — maybe even more,” Woike writes. “And role players who got paid when they hit the market and didn’t live up to the paycheck, well, they can usually be had for cheap as they try to rebuild value.”