The Los Angeles Lakers face another busy and creative offseason after a first-round playoff exit. While they won’t have cap space this summer, they’ll likely be a luxury-tax team, possibly nearing the second apron.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the team’s main avenues for improvement are a future first-round pick (2031 or 2032), over $70 million in expiring contracts, and the midlevel exception (ranging from $5.7 million to $14.1 million) in free agency.
The LA Lakers have $118.2 million committed to eight players for next season, including Luka Doncic ($45.99 million) and Austin Reaves ($13.94 million).
Additionally, LeBron James ($52.63 million) and Dorian Finney-Smith ($15.38 million) have player options. If those options are exercised, the team’s salary could reach about $188.6 million, pushing it into the luxury tax.
The Lakers will also need to add six more players to meet the league’s minimum roster requirements.
Their roster-building tools include the $14.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception, and the $5.1 million biannual exception.
They can also make trades, but these moves could trigger hard caps depending on the chosen option.
Reaves is extension-eligible but will likely seek more than the Lakers’ maximum offer of $89.2 million over four years, especially with the chance to earn upwards of $120 million after the 2025-26 season.
