05-08-2026, 01:49 PM
(05-08-2026, 07:55 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: Yeah it will be intersesting to see what they do? Are they keeping money open for 27? I thought they plan to be aggressive this year. I guess they can be flexible.
Rui has played himself into a nice contract this year. No idea what range. They have flexibility with Reaves before he signs. Less so after he signs. Smart can opt out and may very well do that as he is only making 5 million. I think Lebron staying LAL is the best for him. Could he sign for 20-25 million on a short deal? I think the Lakers are good. Not sure they can get to the OKC/SA level anytime soon, but they are definitely in the next group. Being one of the top 5 teams is not a bad place to be. One more thing, I assume they make a move for a center this summer. That seems in the cards.
I don't think Lakers plan is 2027 FA. It is building around Luka. But, they will have huge decisions to make and I think their offseason will be one of the most interesting ones. They have huge flexibility and many different paths they could choose. They could bring the team back and operate over the cap or they can have 50 mil (or even more) of cap space. They could target right role players or they could target a star (through trade using their cap relief and 3 FRPs), filling rest of the team with small contracts.
I think it is clear that this current Lakers team is at least a tier or two behind OKC (and likely San Antonio too). I don't think things would be much different if Luka would be healthy. So, just bringing back this team makes little sense, especially because in that case their options to upgrade would be very much limited. While individually a bunch of players in their main rotation look really good, the sum of all parts just isn't on a high enough level due to many overlapping skillsets, lack of athleticism and two-way ability.
1. LeBron. He is really awesome in the playoffs. But, his skillset overlaps so much with Luka on both ends of the floor that imho it doesn't make sense to invest anything substantial (lets say above MLE) in him when building around Luka. He definitely outplayed that number and should demand more if he decides to play for another season. Lakers can't afford to wait for him.
2. Hachimura. He is one of the best shooters. If he is open, he is deadly accurate and has even been a playoff riser. He is shooting almost 60 % from three this season in the playoffs on a very solid volume. However, he is more or less average defender, athlete, rebounder,... Lakers problem was, when Luka, Reaves and LeBron were all playing, there were simply not enough shots for him to make sense to invest anything substantial in his top ability. If all three remain with Lakers, they need hard nosed defender(s), which Rui is not. He would still be great coming off the bench, but will probably want too much money for such a role. If one of the "big three" goes, than it would make sense to keep him around his current salary.
3. Ayton and Smart player options. I think both had good seasons relative to their salaries. Ayton has been hot and cold as usual, but is playing generally well since all stars. However, he seems to have problems against OKC. Smart has been one of the most valuable players on the team and is exactly the type of player needed next to Luka (a bit better shooting would be a bonus). I kind of hope they both pick their options, but especially Smart has significantly outplayed his 5 mil salary.