Basketball - Los Angeles Lakers news

• Lakers Rumors: Nick Smith Jr. Team Option Declined

  30-06-2026 02:47 via lakersnation.com
  
  This offseason should be an interesting one for the Los Angeles Lakers as a lot of moves need to be made in order to vault them into championship contention.
  The Lakers have a lot of roster spots to fill, and one more just opened up as according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, they will be declining the team option of guard Nick Smith Jr. to make him a free agent:The Los Angeles Lakers declined their team option for Nick Smith Jr., a league source told @spotrac.
  Smith will be an unrestricted free age
  
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• LeBron James Free Agency Tracker: Live Updates And Latest Rumors For Newest Decision

  02-07-2026 04:15 via lakersnation.com
  
  LeBron James suddenly became the most intriguing free agent this summer with his decision to not re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.
  The era closed as James’ longest uninterrupted tenure with one team at double his four seasons with the Miami Heat from 2010-14. James’ total number of seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers is 11, though he left the team after seven years to begin his NBA career before later returning.
  Now James is fielding interest from several team
  
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• 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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• Lakers Free Agency Rumors: Interest In Quentin Grimes

  30-06-2026 21:39 via lakersnation.com
  
  Now that the Los Angeles Lakers know LeBron James won’t be returning to the team, they have a lot of money to spend in free agency when it gets underway on Tuesday afternoon.
  One potential target who could makes sense for the Lakers is Quentin Grimes as he is a former teammate and close from of Luka Doncic’s on the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25. And according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers are expected to be among the teams with interest in the guard:Last night we reported the L
  
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• LeBron James Thanks Lakers Amid Expected Departure In Free Agency

  30-06-2026 21:02 via lakersnation.com
  
  LeBron James has played his final game for the Los Angeles Lakers as it was reported that he has informed the team that he will continue his playing career elsewhere for the 2026-27 season. Following the news, the Lakers released a statement thanking James for everything he meant to the franchise during his time in purple and gold.
  And now James has responded to that statement, taking to social media to thank the Lakers and calling it an honor to have been able to wear the purple and gold:No, TH
  
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• NBA Free Agency Rumors: Lakers Expected To Meet With Walker Kessler

  30-06-2026 20:32 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers have to make a big splash this summer, after touting their 2026 cap space to both superstar Luka Doncic and the fanbase as their best means to improve. One name that has been floated more than any other is Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, who is entering restricted free agency this summer.Kessler being a restricted free agent gives the Jazz all the power. They can match any offer he gets, and the Lakers would have to tie up their cap space for up to 48 hours with a chance
  
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• Why LeBron James Felt It Was Time To Move On Despite Lakers Wanting Him Back

  30-06-2026 19:57 via lakersnation.com
  
  LeBron James rocked the NBA world on Tuesday morning when it was reported that he informed the Los Angeles Lakers he would playing elsewhere in 2026-27. The James era in Los Angeles ended after eight years, one championship and six playoff appearances.There have been many rumors and stories since the team acquired Luka Doncic in February of 2025 about the quality of relationship between James and the Lakers. But in the end, reports claim that James was simply ready to move on despite Rob Pelinka
  
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• Lakers Target Robert Williams III Reportedly Agrees To Extension With Trail Blazers

  30-06-2026 19:28 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers are patiently waiting until 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday to begin their formal free agency window. As likely a cap space team, agreeing to a deal too early might trigger a tampering investigation by the league. There are many targets — including Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III — that have been linked to the Lakers, though.Williams was seen as one of the top centers on the free agent market. Despite injuries hampering him to 85 total games played over
  
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• Jeanie Buss & Lakers Release Statement Thanking LeBron James

  30-06-2026 19:16 via lakersnation.com
  
  With NBA free agency underway, a bomb was dropped on the Los Angeles Lakers as LeBron James let them know he would be moving on and finishing his career elsewhere.
  James and the Lakers divorcing after eight years together was a rumor that had been circulating for weeks prior to the official announcement, with external teams like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers heavily connected to the 41-year-old superstar. With the James era in Los Angeles now over, Jeanie Buss and the organiz
  
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• Warriors & Cavaliers Expected To Be Suitors For LeBron James

  30-06-2026 19:01 via lakersnation.com
  
  On the morning of the start of NBA free agency, LeBron James dropped a bomb on the Los Angeles Lakers by letting them know he will not be returning to the team.
  That means the Lakers can begin building their roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves with the long-term goal of contending for championships in mind. And for James, he will be finishing he career elsewhere, and potential suitors are already popping up. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, another return to the Cleveland Cavaliers
  
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• LeBron James Reportedly Informs Lakers He Will Play Elsewhere In 2026-27

  30-06-2026 18:07 via lakersnation.com
  
  After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, LeBron James made it clear that he would take some time and speak with his family before making any decisions on his future.
  James still played at an extremely high level in his 23rd NBA season, but first he had to decide if he wanted to keep playing and if so, where he would finish his career. It appears James has finally made a decision as he has informed the Lakers that he will be playing elsewhere, per Shams Charania of ESPN:BRE
  
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• LeBron James Informs Lakers He Will Play Elsewhere In 2026-27

  30-06-2026 18:07 via lakersnation.com
  
  After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs, LeBron James made it clear that he would take some time and speak with his family before making any decisions on his future.
  James still played at an extremely high level in his 23rd NBA season, but first he had to decide if he wanted to keep playing and if so, where he would finish his career. It appears James has finally made a decision as he has informed the Lakers that he will be playing elsewhere, per Shams Charania of ESPN:BRE
  
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• Bronny James’ Lakers Contract Fully Guaranteed For 2026-27 Season

  30-06-2026 16:05 via lakersnation.com
  
  The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and one of them is the contract status of Bronny James. As James heads into the third season of his four-year rookie deal, only $1,258,873 of his $2,296,271 contract was guaranteed. The Lakers had to decide to fully guarantee the deal or waive him by June 29, and they decided on the former as he is still on the roster.
  This decision isn’t a huge surprise for the Lakers as waiving James would have only opened up about $1
  
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