NBA free agency doesn’t officially open until Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT, allowing teams to officially negotiate with players on the open market. The offseason, however, is already in full swing.
The Lakers started shoring up next season’s roster by ending their biggest question mark of the offseason – signing Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million max-level contract to lock up the 28-year-old guard as part of the team’s future alongside Luka Doncic. Outside of Reaves, LeBron James’ potential final free agency decision is the biggest factor the Lakers will face.
It’s likely the Lakers will look to bring back a pair – or all three of – Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes, who are unrestricted free agents. But there are other options – including restricted free agents – who the Lakers could bring into the fold that could bolster the depth of the roster heading into next season.
In no particular order, here are five free agency targets from outside the organization who the Lakers should consider when rounding out their 2026-27 roster:
Forward Peyton Watson, restricted free agent (Denver Nuggets)
The Long Beach-raised Watson has a high motor and can stretch the floor defensively with his 7-foot wingspan. He has the tools to help the Lakers immediately. Watson, who played one season at UCLA, averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game in his fourth NBA season, playing a career-high 29.6 minutes in 54 games (40 starts) last season.
Yes, a Grade 2 right hamstring strain kept the 6-foot-8 wing from being a factor at the end of the season – and led to him sitting out their entire first-round playoff series (a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves) – but his tools stand out in a weaker free agency market.
The Nuggets can match any offer sheet the Lakers, or another team, offers Watson, but they are currently handcuffed by their salary cap space – likely needing to exceed the highly punitive second apron to retain him. That could allow Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to swoop in and bring a local product back to Southern California.
Forward Tari Eason, restricted free agent (Houston Rockets)
Like Watson, Eason could end up snatched away from the team that drafted him because of salary cap restrictions.
Eason is coming off a season in which he started a career-high 34 games and averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. He was an active part of the playoff rotation that Houston coach Ime Udoka used in a first-round loss to the Lakers.
At 6-8, carries the kin of brute-post presence the Lakers were missing at times last season, although his height is underwhelming should he be asked to play center in smaller lineups. Still 25 years old, Eason is a plus offensive rebounder who could help boost second-chance opportunities for the likes of Doncic and Reaves and a Lakers team that ranked second to last in the league on the offensive glass.
Center Kevin Looney, unrestricted free agent
After a 10-year run with the Golden State Warriors, Looney signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
But Looney is set to leave after playing just 21 games for the Pelicans because of injuries and availability issues – his team option was declined on Friday evening, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The 6-9 Looney, 30, could be a cheap backup big man option, regardless of whether the Lakers bring back Hayes – newly a Slovenian citizen to play alongside Doncic internationally – and could boost their frontcourt depth even though his best days are behind him at this point in his career.
Forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili, unrestricted free agent
Mamukelashvili opted out of his player option – at just $2.8 million – after a career-best season for Toronto, where he averaged 11.2 points and played in 80 regular-season games.
Entering his sixth year in the league, the Georgian-American big man differentiates from the Lakers’ options in the post – the ones from last year’s roster or their other offseason options at center – due to his ability to drain 3-pointers at an efficient clip (38.9%). The 6-9, 240-pounder might not pack much punch, rebounding-wise, but he would space the floor well and help the Lakers’ backcourt flourish.
Mamukelashvili will likely garner a contract above $10 million per year, but with the Lakers’ cap flexibility, it’s not out of the question that Pelinka could offer that kind of number to a free agent of his quality.
Guard Quentin Grimes, unrestricted free agent
Grimes might be outside the Lakers’ budget considering their priorities, and who they’d likely prefer to bring back from last year’s roster – such as Kennard – but he would be a swift fit in the rotations for Coach JJ Redick after his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 6-4 shooting guard showed sparks of offensive versatility over the past two seasons – especially at the end of the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 21.9 ppg after being traded from Dallas to Philadelphia.
If a team like the Lakers could get Grimes to accept a contract for less than $20 million per year, he could be a vital addition to the team’s bench minutes while making occasional starts.