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[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Picks Up Player Option For 2025-26 Season

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James remains one of the best players in the league as despite turning 40 in his 22nd season, he was named to Second Team All-NBA.

As great as he still is though, it’s natural for LeBron to contemplate his future and how much longer he wants to continue playing. James was noncommittal about returning for a 23rd season and eighth in L.A. after the Lakers were eliminated from the postseason, wanting to take time to talk it over with him family before making any decisions.

LeBron has a player option for the 2025-26 season worth $52.6 million that he has to make a decision on by June 29. If he picks that up then he will be under contract for another season with the Lakers. If he declines it though, he will become an unrestricted free agent where he can negotiate a new deal with L.A. or other teams. While retirement has been considered in past years, it never seemed like a possibility this summer.

The expectation all along though has been for James to return to the Lakers, and according to Shams Charania of ESPN, that will be the case as he is picking up that player option:

Breaking: Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN.

Paul adds: LeBron "knows the Lakers are building for the future … but he values a realistic chance of winning it all." pic.twitter.com/q5mT1O2R35

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025

With James picking up his player option, he will not be taking a discount to help the Lakers build out their roster, which was reported to be the case early in the offseason.

Regardless though, the most important domino of the Lakers’ offseason has now fallen with LeBron expected back in purple and gold. His eighth season with the team will mark his longest tenure with an organization, surpassing his first seven-season stint in Cleveland.

Now, the focus could shift to building a roster that fits James and Luka Doncic as L.A. looks to get back into championship contention.

And for James, he is working on getting healthy before training camp after suffering a sprained MCL in the team’s final postseason game.

Ron Pelinka: Lakers want to meet LeBron James’ expectations for roster​

Rob Pelinka has made it clear in his 2024-25 end-of-the-year press conference that the Lakers want to put together a roster to LeBron James’ liking, so they were clearly under the impression that he will be back for at least one more season.

James is already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has every accolade there is so at this stage of his career though, he is only in the business of competing for championships. That means the pressure is on Pelinka to improve the roster and make that happen, although he has limited resources to work with.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-lebron-james-picks-up-player-option-for-2025-26-season/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Potential Lakers Center Target Deandre Ayton Agrees To Buyout With Trail Blazers

NBA free agency kicks off on Monday and it’s no secret what the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking for as they don’t currently have a center on the roster.

The Lakers have been linked to a number of big men on both the trade and free agent markets, with Brook Lopez and Clint Capela perhaps being the most realistic options for what the Lakers can afford.

Despite opting into his contract, LeBron James appears to be putting pressure on the Lakers to make moves to elevate themselves to contender status, so the pressure will be on Rob Pelinka to make a splash to the 40-year-old’s liking to convince him to stay. The same can be said for Luka Doncic, who will be eligible for a contract extension in August that the Lakers surely will want him to sign.

Perhaps the splash that Pelinka is looking for just hit the market as according to Shams Charania of ESPN, Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers:

Breaking: Deandre Ayton is finalizing a contract buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers to become a free agent, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/DNYcNqRvkW

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

Sudden addition to the free-agent market. This gives Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick who went to the NBA Finals with the Suns, the chance to receive a fresh opportunity as the Trail Blazers build around their depth of young centers. https://t.co/JlaQzrnI0N

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

The Trail Blazers have been trying to trade Ayton for a while but there were no takers, which isn’t a surprise given his $35.5 million salary. With him being bought out and becoming a free agent though, the former Phoenix Sun is free to sign with any team.

Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick that started in the NBA Finals as recently as 2021. While his stock has taken a big hit since then, there’s no denying he would fill a need for the Lakers as he is coming off a season in which he averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in 40 games for Portland.

At 26 years of age, there’s still hope that Ayton could be a productive starting center in the NBA, especially playing alongside someone like Doncic, who he conveniently shares an agent with. If the Lakers wind up opening up their mid-level exception, Ayton could become a prime target and the interest should be mutual given the role they can offer him.

Dorian Finney-Smith declines player option from Lakers​

Lakers wing Dorian Finney-Smith reportedly declined his player option, which means he will also test free agency. While the Lakers are known to want him back, there is already interest elsewhere across the league so that is no guarantee.

If Finney-Smith were to walk in free agency then the Lakers would be below the first apron of the salary cap, which would open up the full mid-level to pursue a player like Deandre Ayton.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/potential-...re-ayton-agrees-to-buyout-with-trail-blazers/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: Jake LaRavia Signing Two-Year Contract

The start of NBA free agency kicked off on Monday afternoon with the Los Angeles Lakers expected to be one of the more aggressive teams.

The Lakers have a number of needs, most notably the center position, and also the wing as well with the expected departure of Dorian Finney-Smith, who is signing with the Houston Rockets.

With the Lakers losing Finney-Smith, they have opened up the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $14.1 million, giving them more spending power in free agency than they originally expected to have.

They began to use that on the first day of free agency by agreeing to a two-year, $12 million contract with former Sacramento Kings wing Jake LaRavia, per Shams Charania of ESPN:

Free agent forward Jake LaRavia has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. LaRavia had a strong finish after joining the Sacramento Kings last season. pic.twitter.com/hXw9E1PzZV

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

Fully guaranteed deal for Jake LaRavia in Los Angeles — negotiated tonight by agents Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry of AMR Agency. https://t.co/rAKs7XLYpv

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025

It appears LaRavia is being brought in as part of the Lakers’ mid-level exception, which means they still have around $8.3 million remaining to use.

The 23-year-old was originally drafted 21st overall in 2022 out of Wake Forest. He has played in 136 games across three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, averaging 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.1% from 3-point range. In 66 games this past season split between the two teams, he put up 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest.

LaRavia is a versatile 6’8″ forward that will help fill the void left by Finney-Smith and at just 23 years of age, there is hope that he will continue to grow with the Lakers’ young core. While this isn’t a move that will put the Lakers over the top, it is a solid addition to start free agency.

LeBron James and Lakers have not had trade talks​

One other storyline surrounding the Lakers to monitor involves LeBron James as despite picking up his player option, his future with the organization remains uncertain as his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports put out a statement hinting at the possibility if they do not like how L.A.’s roster shapes up.

It appears it has not gotten to that point though as Paul cleared the air and revealed that no trade talks between James and the Lakers have taken place to this point. That could change in the future, but for now it appears LeBron is planning on playing his 23rd NBA season in purple and gold.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-jake-laravia-signing-two-year-contract/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: First Free Agency Call Was To Jake LaRavia

The first day of free agency was a quiet one for the Los Angeles Lakers, although they did make one signing, bringing in wing Jake LaRavia on a reported two-year, $12 million contract.

Signing LaRavia helps make up for the loss of Dorian Finney-Smith, who agreed to a four-year contract at the start of free agency with the Houston Rockets.

At just 23 years of age, LaRavia will bring some youth to the Lakers on the wing. It appears he was a priority as according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Lakers’ first call at the start of free agency was to LaRavia:

LaRavia is represented by Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry, the same agency team that represents Reaves. Reaves made a surprise cameo at the end of a long LaRavia interview this summer, when it turned out that the car LaRavia was riding in was being driven by his future Lakers teammate

According to league sources, LaRavia was the Lakers’ first call when free agency officially opened at 3 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday. In his conversation with Rob Pelinka and Lakers coach JJ Redick, LaRavia and his team were impressed with the ways Pelinka sold the strengths of the Lakers’ brand and Redick’s detailed vision for how he’d like to use the young wing.

In 136 career games across three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, LaRavia has averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 37.1% from 3-point range. In 66 games this past season split between the two teams, he put up 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

While those numbers don’t jump off the page, the Lakers are obviously confident that he will continue to improve with their core.

Rich Paul says Lakers and LeBron James have not talked trades​

The expectation is that Jake LaRavia will be teaming up with LeBron James as despite all of the noise surrounding the 40-year-old, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports confirmed that no trade talks have taken place between them and the Lakers.

“What he is saying on behalf of LeBron James is that LeBron James has a few years left to play, and he’s still playing at a high level,” NBA insider Chris Haynes reported. “He wants to win and he said LeBron understands the priority is Luka and maximizing his timeline… He made it clear LeBron is supportive of that. At the same time, the desire is that the Lakers also prioritize him as well and make sure they’re doing everything that they can to still compete now. That’s all he was saying. [Rich Paul] told me there has been no trade discussions, there are have been no trade talks with the Lakers, people have been speculating on certain teams that he might be interested in. I’m told that all that talk is false. There has been no trade talk, there has been no extension talk. He clearly opted in and he wants to win. He believes the Lakers have what it takes to maximize Luka’s timeline, but also maximize and prioritize his timeline. That’s what Rich Paul wanted to get clear.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-first-free-agency-call-was-to-jake-laravia/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: Price Tag On Jazz Center Walker Kessler Remains High

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA is the Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of a center, and that one of their dream options is Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz. The soon-to-be 24-year-old has just about everything the Lakers are looking for in a center, and with him set to enter restricted free agency next summer, the Jazz have opened the door on a trade before having to pay him a major contract.

But the door has only been cracked open by Utah, as they still would love to hold on to the young and talented rim protector. Since the 2024-25 trade deadline, the price on Kessler has remained astronomically high, with the Lakers at no point having the assets required to land him.

The hope for L.A. was that by pushing the conversation to the offseason, perhaps the Jazz would relent and make a deal with fewer assets being returned. But according to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, that does not appear to be the case:

“I’ve just heard nothing but they want two picks plus a young player for Walker Kessler. So the Lakers cannot do that trade. They can give one pick and one young player and a swap. You could throw in a couple swaps. I probably would try to hold off on the later swaps, but I would maybe throw in three swaps like just or and take away the protections on the top four pick in in 2027, but I just don’t know if that’s going to be enough for Utah.”

The Lakers have shifted their pursuit of a center largely from free agency to the trade market — with the exception of Deandre Ayton and Al Horford — in the last 24 hours, after striking out on Brook Lopez and Clint Capela. And while there has been no noise about which specific centers the Lakers are looking at, it has to be assumed that Kessler is on the list considering they have already made offers to Utah.

But, as has been the case for months now, a trade materializing between L.A. and Utah continues to be unlikely with the Jazz’s high price point and the Lakers currently only having one tradable first-round pick. And at this stage in the offseason, there is no reason for them to lower that price.

Lakers still showing interest in Al Horford and Deandre Ayton​

While the trade market remains L.A.’s most likely place of landing an impact center for the future, they are still engaged in conversations with free agents Deandre Ayton and Al Horford.

In the coming days, both players are likely to choose their destinations, and at that point, the Lakers can see what they have before continuing down a trade path.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-price-tag-on-jazz-center-walker-kessler-remains-high/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

NBA Rumors: Lakers Involved In Potential Record Seven-Team Expanded Kevin Durant Trade

The NBA offseason is off and running and so far, the Los Angeles Lakers have lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets. That opened up the full mid-level exception though, which they used to sign Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia.

All of these moves are reported but will not be official until the start of the new league year on July 6. In the meantime, general managers across the league are getting creative to try and put the best possible rosters together.

Sometimes that includes turning free agent signings into sign-and-trades, and expanding deals to multiple teams. The Lakers were involved in one of those in the summer of 2021 when they acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, which was ultimately expanded into a five-team deal.

It appears Rob Pelinka may be getting in the mix again as according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Kevin Durant trade between the Rockets and Phoenix Suns could be expanded into a record seven-team deal with the Lakers being one of them:

League sources tell The Athletic that the Rockets and Suns are working on expanding the Kevin Durant trade into a deal that would involve a league-record seven teams. Other teams involved in negotiations at the moment include the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources say.

No trade is imminent, and details are being ironed out as of Wednesday night.

In a would-be seven-team trade, there is an unprecedented amount of detail. Unfortunately, while a seven-team trade would make for a thrilling topic at a cocktail party, there haven’t been many unexpected developments in these negotiations. At least in the iterations of the deal discussed so far, most of the recognizable names are from trades that have already been agreed to and reported but not yet finalized.

The Hawks would be sending Clint Capela to the Rockets in what would become a sign-and-trade, league sources say. Durant would go to Houston. The previously reported return for him, including Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, would go to Phoenix. Only five players who were in the NBA last season are being discussed in the current iteration of the trade, as of now: Durant, Brooks, Green, Clint Capela and Daeqwon Plowden, league sources say. The rest of the players being discussed are all from already-agreed-upon draft-night trades that are yet to be finalized and can’t be until July 6.

It’s unclear what the Lakers’ exact involvement in the trade would be, but it likely would be nothing major. Perhaps they are turning the Finney-Smith deal into a sign-and-trade to generate a trade exception, or maybe they are acquiring a player like Nick Richards from the Suns, who would be absorbed into their bi-annual exception.

The other possibility is that the Lakers’ trade up in the draft for Adou Thiero, which involved the Minnesota Timberwolves, is being looped in considering they are one of the other six teams.

Lakers have reported interest in Nick Richards​

If the Lakers were to acquire Richards then it wouldn’t come as a surprise as they have had reported interest in him since he appeared to become expendable when the Suns drafted Khaman Maluach and traded for Mark Williams.

The Lakers acquiring Richards would give them a formidable center duo along with Ayton, although it obviously remains to be seen if that would be L.A.’s involvement in the potential trade considering he is not listed in the report.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/nba-rumors...ecord-seven-team-expanded-kevin-durant-trade/