Basketball - Los Angeles Lakers news

• Full Lakers 2026 Summer League Schedule & Roster

  01-07-2026 23:27 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers have announced their schedule and roster for the upcoming California Classic, to be held July 3-6 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and 2026 NBA Summer League, which will take place July 9-19 in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.
  As was reportedly to be the case, Lakers assistant coach Ty Abbott will serve as the team’s head coach this summer. Here is the full roster he will be coaching, which includes some familiar faces:Adou Thiero and Chris Mañon ar
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Jaxson Hayes Signing With Jazz

  01-07-2026 21:54 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers had a lot of important decisions to make this offseason when it comes to their roster, but one that seemed to be set in stone was bringing back backup center Jaxson Hayes.
  Hayes has played well in a limited role for the Lakers and has built nice chemistry with Luka Doncic as a lob threat. Despite that being the case though, the Lakers are losing Hayes to the Utah Jazz in free agency, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN:Source: The Jazz are signing former Lakers center Jaxson Hayes to
  
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• LeBron James’ Last Act Should Be Cleveland

  01-07-2026 21:00 via nytimes.com
  James doesn’t need another championship ring or another record. He needs to be loved more.
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Deandre Ayton Projects As Backup Center ‘As Of Now’

  01-07-2026 20:40 via lakersnation.com
  
  All offseason, the talks surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers was about their desire to get an ideal center to pair with Luka Doncic and the team made the move to do just that in agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal for Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. But now another question has emerged regarding the future of last year’s starter Deandre Ayton.
  Ayton opted in to the second year of his contract with the Lakers for $8.2 million and some believed that perhaps a trade was on the way. But as it
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Collin Sexton Signing Multi-Year Contract

  01-07-2026 18:50 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster is going to look at lot different when the 2026-27 season roles around as they are following through with their plan of utilizing max cap space.
  That meant they would lose a lot of their own free agents and bring in some fresh faces, with one being Collin Sexton, per Shams Charania of ESPN:Free agent Collin Sexton has agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/S2MBPxTSH4
  — Shams Charania (@Sham
  
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• Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Quentin Grimes Agrees To Contract

  01-07-2026 18:30 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be one of the more busy teams in free agency this summer as they went into it with the most cap space in the NBA, especially with the expectation that LeBron James will be playing elsewhere.
  One player they were immediately linked to was Quentin Grimes, and it appears he has agreed to a contract with the team, per Shams Charania of ESPN:Free agent guard Quentin Grimes has agreed to a four-year, $60 million to join the Los Angeles Lakers, with a player opti
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Sandro Mamukelashvili Agrees To Free Agent Contract

  01-07-2026 18:05 via lakersnation.com
  
  Despite the Los Angeles Lakers having the most cap space in the NBA, they were patient at the start of free agency, setting up meetings with some of their top targets.
  At some point though, Rob Pelinka would need to begin putting that cap space to use and he has now done that by agreeing to sign former Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, per Shams Charania of ESPN:Just in: Free agent F/C Sandro Mamukelashvili has agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal to sign with Los Angeles Lakers,
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Mitchell Robinson Agrees To Free Agent Contract With Celtics

  01-07-2026 18:01 via lakersnation.com
  
  Upgrading the center position has been a known priority for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason as getting the ideal big man who fits with superstar Luka Doncic is critical to the team’s success. One of the players who quickly emerged as a target was Mitchell Robinson, who was an important piece for the New York Knicks’ run to the NBA Championship.
  But with the Knicks nearing the dreaded salary cap second apron, them retaining Robinson was unlikely. The Lakers were known to be inte
  
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• Lakers Reportedly Agree To Sign-And-Trade With Jazz For Walker Kessler

  01-07-2026 17:37 via lakersnation.com
  
  Upgrading the center position was a top priority for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason as getting an ideal big man to pair with superstar guard Luka Doncic is crucial. There are a number of ways for the Lakers to improve the position, but arguably the best options were available via restricted free agency.
  Teams often choose not to pursue restricted free agents as it can tie up salary cap space, limiting other potential moves, with no payoff if the original team matches the offer sheet. But
  
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• Emirates NBA Cup Finals Game Moved To Hinkle Fieldhouse

  01-07-2026 16:30 via lakersnation.com
  
  Ever since the league announced the creation of the Emirates NBA Cup in 2023, the semifinals and finals have been held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s where the Los Angeles Lakers took home the inaugural championship in an entertaining stretch.But that will not be the case for the fourth edition of the tournament. The NBA announced that the championship game of the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup will be held at the legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.Hinkle Fieldho
  
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• Lakers Showed ‘Significant Interest’ In Dean Wade Before Signing With 76ers

  01-07-2026 16:03 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy trying to improve their roster in the wake of LeBron James informing them that he plans to continue his career elsewhere next season.
  With an abundance of cap space at their disposal, the team has reportedly met with restricted free agents Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren. Several reports also suggest that Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes are likely to sign with L.A. in the coming days.
  As the Lakers look to improve their overall shooting, they were am
  
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• Luka Doncic Shares Message For LeBron James

  01-07-2026 15:05 via lakersnation.com
  
  Prior to the start of free agency, it was revealed that LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers of his intentions to continue his playing career elsewhere next season, ending his tenure with the franchise after eight seasons. Now, the Lakers will turn the page and begin building this team around superstar guard Luka Doncic.
  But Doncic and James were able to develop a close friendship during their time together with the Lakers. Doncic took to social media to thank James, calling it a pleasur
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Marcus Smart Agrees To Contract With Rockets

  01-07-2026 13:34 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers had a number of role players who were extremely critical to their success last season and arguably the most important was veteran guard Marcus Smart. Smart was the perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves operating as the primary defender on the opposition’s best guard and generally being the player who set the tone energy-wise for the team.
  Smart declining his player option for the 2026-27 season was expected after he proved he could still contribute to w
  
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• Jalen Duren Reportedly Schedules Second Meeting With Lakers After ‘Productive’ First Call

  01-07-2026 06:54 via lakersnation.com
  
  At the start of free agency on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers’ focus was on young restricted free agent big men as they reportedly met with both Walker Kessler in person and Jalen Duren on a call.
  It remains to be seen if they can get either to leave their current teams, but according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers had a productive first meeting with Duren and will speak with him again on Wednesday:
  Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren had a productive meetin
  
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• Jalen Duren Reportedly Holding Second Free Agent Meeting With Lakers After ‘Productive’ First Call

  01-07-2026 06:54 via lakersnation.com
  
  At the start of free agency on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers’ focus was on young restricted free agent big men as they reportedly met with both Walker Kessler in person and Jalen Duren on a call.
  It remains to be seen if they can get either to leave their current teams, but according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers had a productive first meeting with Duren and will speak with him again on Wednesday:
  Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren had a productive meetin
  
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• Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes And Walker Kessler Appear To Be Lakers’ Free Agency Priorities

  01-07-2026 03:58 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of work to do in free agency to improve their roster in the wake of LeBron James’ expected departure.
  With free agency getting underway on Tuesday afternoon, their focus appears to be on Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Walker Kessler, per NBA insider Marc Stein:The growing anticipation leaguewide is that the Lakers ultimately secure commitments on new contracts from Toronto free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili and Philadelphia free agent Quentin Grim
  
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• Lakers Rumors: Luke Kennard Signing With Phoenix Suns

  01-07-2026 03:48 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers’ trade deadline acquisition of Luke Kennard proved to be a big one as he stepped up in the playoffs in the absence of the team’s injured stars.
  Kennard seemed to fit in perfectly with the Lakers organization on and off the court and there was mutual interest in making it a long-term partnership as the 30-year-old hit free agency this offseason. Ultimately, Kennard decided to sign with the Phoenix Suns, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.Free agent sharpshooter
  
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• Kelly Oubre Jr. Free Agency: Lakers Among Teams With Meeting Scheduled

  01-07-2026 01:04 via lakersnation.com
  
  The morning of NBA free agency beginning came with a shockwave as LeBron James decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons with the storied franchise.
  Reports of James’ intention to sign with a new team arrived several hours before free agency officially opened at 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday. While a loss for the Lakers, it provided president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka timely clarity in what’s an important summer.
  As the Lakers now look to build a roster around Luk
  
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