The Lakers are still searching for answers on the wing, but one possible fix may already be slipping away.
Los Angeles has been busy reshaping the roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the two players now carrying the franchise’s direction. Even with all the movement, one problem keeps hanging over the team: power forward remains a clear opening.
That issue looks even sharper after Jonathan Kuminga landed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency. ESPN’s Shams Charani reported the move this way: “Jonathan Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus a player option, agent Aaron Turner tells ESPN. Kuminga will be a starter alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert on the West contender,"
With that door closed, the Lakers’ attention had turned to Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. Earlier in the week, ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly suggested Jones could seek a trade and try to remain in Los Angeles.
“I think sometimes agents see different opportunities around the league to play more, make more money, contend for a championship, potentially, so that could also weigh into it,” said Azarly. “If they see a better opportunity elsewhere, they’ll approach the Clippers, and the Clippers, in good faith, will try to get them where they want to go.”
That kind of scenario would have given the Lakers a path to chase him in a deal. But Azarly later cooled that speculation and said Jones has not made that request.
“To address a recent post I saw, Derrick Jones Jr. has not requested a trade from the Clippers, per source. Both he and the team have a great relationship and the two sides are open to extension talks to keep the forward in Los Angeles,” he wrote.
If that report holds, the Lakers can probably cross Jones off the list for now. It’s another trade option that doesn’t look promising at the moment, though it still isn’t necessarily dead forever. A few months from now, the picture could look different.
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The opening for a real MVP push is there if Doncic can carry the nightly load and keep his body holding up through the grind. He has the skill set and the spotlight, and some around the league already view him as a serious candidate, but the bigger question is whether his style and injury history can withstand the kind of workload that comes with being the clear face of the Lakers. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers May Have Reopened A Tough Bronny Debate With This Guard Decision
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Smith played three NBA seasons between the Hornets and Lakers, averaging 7.6 points in 17.5 minutes per game, and his path back to free agency started when Los Angeles declined his team option for the 2026-27 season. Now his move to Real Madrid removes one more guard from the Lakers orbit, and it naturally invites a fresh look at how the team has handled its younger perimeter options, including the kind of debate that tends to linger when the roster is still sorting out its future. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Roster Crunch Could Force An Early Call On Former First-Rounder
The Lakers are heading into training camp with a familiar kind of roster pressure, and it could put a young player right back in the spotlight. As Los Angeles works to trim down to the official roster limit, the team has been exploring trade options for Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt, but so far there has not been a market that gets either name moved.
Dalton Knechts spot is the one drawing the most attention because there is already talk that he could be waived if he does not show enough progress in camp. For a former first-round pick, that would be a sharp turn, and it leaves the Lakers with a decision to make as they sort out who fits the long-term picture and who becomes the odd man out in a crowded build. [Read more 🡒]