LOS ANGELES — The shoe drops. The earth shakes. And LeBron James is leaving the Lakers, his agent Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told the Southern California News Group on Tuesday morning.
So what’s next for the Lakers as the team treks into free agency Tuesday afternoon? It might be worth checking back in with what Rob Pelinka said when the season ended in May in a second round exit in the NBA playoffs.
“Depth is really important, athleticism and youth,” the Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager said. “We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it. I think those are some of the key North Stars that we need to look at.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the Western Conference’s top teams, are built on the depth, athleticism and youth that Pelinka mentioned. The Lakers culture was built around James and Marcus Smart’s heart and hustle during the 2025-26 season, helping the franchise to overcome injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to earn a first round victory over the Houston Rockets.
James announced his exit and Smart declined his $5.4 player option on Monday. Outside of reserve forward Maxi Kleber, who is linked with a return to European basketball, James and Smart were the Lakers’ oldest pair of players.
At the top of the Lakers for the foreseeable future are Doncic and Reaves: the franchise’s two highest earners after Doncic signed a three-year, $165-million extension last offseason and Reaves secured his future with the Lakers last week after agreeing to a four-year, $185-million max contract to secure the highest-earning contract for a former undrafted free agent in NBA history.
The Lakers have plenty of room to figure out the rest behind Doncic and Reaves. With a projected $52 million in cap space to spend in free agency or through the trade market, they could target the likes of Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler or Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren to sure up the frontcourt and add an All-Star level talent at the five. The Lakers are set to meet with both big men when free agency begins Tuesday afternoon, according to multiple reports.
Such a move would likely require a sign-and-trade deal, considering the Jazz and Pistons can match any offer sheet for their big men, and could also see Deandre Ayton, who opted into his $8.1 million contract for the 2026-27 season with the Lakers on Monday, go the other way in a swap.
Making a statement at center in the offseason has been the loudest talking point, even more so than what James’ decision was going to be, for the Lakers since the season ended in May.
The Lakers gain flexibility with James’ exit and room to bring back a handful of their unrestricted free agents. Forward Rui Hachimura is expected to receive at least $20 million per year and is reportedly garnering interest from the Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets, while the likes of swingman Luke Kennard and center Jaxson Hayes appear to be likely options to return to the Lakers.
Options that make sense for the Lakers in free agency include the likes of Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who is a restricted free agent, but could leave Denver due to their current cap space equation, leaving little room for a hefty contract. Watson is from Long Beach and played a year of college basketball at UCLA.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, a 27-year-old stretch center, declined his player option with the Toronto Raptors and could help the Lakers build depth to run lineups with two big men in the season ahead. Among guards, former Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes are likely not starting options for the Lakers, but both could fit into the Smart void on the roster should the former Defensive Player of the Year not return to Los Angeles.
Should the Lakers look to make more room salary wise, it may require parting ways with forward Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4 million), who attached with the two first round picks the franchise could trade (2031 and 2033), could end up in a trade. Lastly, although James told the Lakers on Tuesday that he is moving on, the 41-year-old star’s son Bronny James is still a Laker as of now.
Bronny James, soon to be in his third year in the NBA with a $2.2 million contract, had his contract become fully guaranteed on Monday and played a true rotational role at times during the 2025-26 season.