A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysis
Austin Reaves got his big payday from the Lakers, who forked over $185 million over the next four years to retain him. It was always the expectation that Reaves would re-sign with the team. While the numbers on his new contract are high, it seems that if the Lakers weren’t prepared to pay that amount, […]
Austin Reaves is officially coming back to the Lakers. On Wednesday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Reaves agreed to a four-year, $185 million max contract with a player option in 2029-30. Other teams couldn’t have offered him more than a four-year, $177.4 million deal, but the Lakers could have given him a five-year, $239.25 […]
This NBA Draft has been lauded as one of the deepest in recent years. Despite having a pick late in the first round, the Lakers still traded up to No. 24 and drafted Cameron Carr, providing the team with an explosive guard who immediately improves this team’s athleticism. Considering where they were drafting, the Lakers […]
After playing at an MVP level to start the season, Kelsey Plum and the Sparks have been dealt a major setback. The team announced that Plum would be out for at least four weeks with a lower left leg injury. She will be re-evaluated at the end of that timeframe, meaning a return to the […]
The Lakers have taken care of one of their biggest items in free agency. Austin Reaves has agreed to re-sign with the Lakers, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. Reaves will sign a four-year, $185 million deal. This is a max deal for Reaves, but over four years instead of five. The AAV […]
Before a draft pick was ever made, NBA commissioner Adam Silver laid out why this day was important for every franchise. “Every pick matters in the chase to become an NBA champion, and that pursuit begins tonight.” For the Lakers, patience was key for this draft. After waiting hours, anticipation turned into action for the […]
The Lakers made sure they got their player in the first round on Tuesday. Los Angeles made a last-minute trade, moving up one spot to the No. 24 pick to select Cameron Carr, a guard out of Baylor. It didn’t take much for the Lakers to complete the deal as all they had to do […]
On top of having cap space to make moves in free agency, the more likely outcome is that the Lakers will use that flexibility to get involved in a trade as a third team. The big trade of the week, and likely of the offseason as a whole, saw Giannis Antetokounmpo moved from the Bucks […]
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. The summer of optionality is here for the Lakers. With few players on the books, the […]
There is good news and bad news for the Lakers as they enter the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency. The good news is they have their superstar in place in Luka Dončić. The bad news is they need a little bit of everything else. It’s been reported that Dončić wants a top-tier center on […]
Because Adam Silver’s NBA is a crazy place that makes little sense, the draft is now a two-day event with the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft set for Tuesday. Start time and TV schedule What: 2026 NBA Draft When: Round 1, 5 p.m. PT, June 23; Round 2, 5 p.m. PT, June 24 Where: Barclays […]
The Lakers never really got involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes this summer, but there were just enough murmurs on the fringes of the deal that could have included the purple and gold. For now, though, it’s a straight two-team trade that will send Giannis to Miami for about everything notable they have, including […]
As far as all-time fumbles by a franchise go, the Mavericks going from having a young backcourt pairing of Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson to having neither and nothing to show for it is near the top of the list. It’s two of the more inexplicable moves in recent NBA history. Dallas watched Brunson excel […]
While the Lakers are set to potentially have a lot of cap space this summer, it comes with a lot of moving parts attached. That cap space is only created if the team renounces the cap holds on certain players — namely LeBron James — and only matters if they have players they want to […]
At his exit interview, one of the edicts from President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka is that the Lakers needed lob threats and wings with athleticism. Join the club. It’s the desire of every NBA team to find athleticism on the wings and at the center position. The surest way teams can find that, then, […]
The Sparks pulled off a stunner on Sunday, rallying from a 17-point second-half deficit to win at the buzzer on a Nneka Ogwumike 3-pointer, downing the Liberty, 98-97. LA trailed by 17 in the second half but used a couple of runs, including a pivotal 12-1 stretch in the fourth, to eventually take the lead. […]
The Lakers have been searching for an elite big man for quite some time. Back in 2025, when Anthony Davis was still on the roster, he made it clear he wanted the Lakers to trade for a center. He ended up being traded for Luka Dončić, but the team still needed someone to play the […]
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. The time has come to reward Austin Reaves for going from being an undrafted player to a starting […]
After having to buy their way into the draft in 2025, the Lakers own a first round pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA draft, giving them a chance to add a young talent at the start of the summer before an important offseason. As a result of losing out on a coin flip, the Lakers […]
While free agency provides lots of uncertainty, there are two known facts heading into this upcoming summer. The Lakers have a lot of cap space and the Thunder need to shed salary. After years of building up a contender through the draft, Oklahoma City is now experiencing the hardships that come with the CBA. In […]
A year-and-a-half into the Luka Dončić era and the Lakers, despite a pair of 50-win seasons, have been far from title contention. It’s not entirely inexcusable as acquiring a franchise-altering superstar in the middle of a season is going to drastically change the outlook of a team. After being built around someone they viewed as […]
While this summer has long been circled as one of change for the Lakers, the list of players they’re interested in retaining from last year’s roster is growing. Even on the heels of a second straight 50-win season, the playoffs made it clear the Lakers, as currently constructed, are not close to contending for a […]
While there has been much debate about what the future holds for LeBron James, the reality is that there have been only a few viable options. It never felt realistic that he would move across the country for a likely retirement tour. Cleveland would need to do an immense amount of cap gymnastics to offer […]
After going down with a hamstring strain late in the regular season, Luka Dončić’s race to get back to full health didn’t turn out to be much of a race at all. Luka made it pretty clear he wasn’t close to a return during the series and, if you needed any more evidence, his full […]
While restricted free agency is a dying concept under the new CBA, the Lakers are positioned to be one of the teams that could still take advantage of the archaic process. Rarely will a contending team have cap space like the Lakers will this summer, but a perfect storm of circumstances — namely Austin Reaves’ […]