The Lakers may still have a path to add a starter this summer and keep a valuable tool in their pocket for next offseason, but the margin for error is thin.
It all comes back to the first apron. Staying below it would allow Los Angeles to remain in position for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception next summer, and in a league where flexibility matters more than ever under the new CBA, that’s no small thing. The Lakers are already operating with very little room, so any move they make now has to be measured against what it does to their books later.
Jovan Buha laid out the challenge this way: “The Lakers are in a strong position to access the non-taxpayer mid-level exception next summer,” reported Jovan Buha. “As things stand, if they do make a trade for Jonathan Kuminga or PJ Washington, and that salary is coming at the expense of some of some of the salary is coming off their cap sheet, like a Hardy, like a Knecht, like a LaRavia, than that will be additional salary on the books that does push them closer to the first apron. Then they have to figure out a way to clear more salary to access the non-taxpayer MLE, the bi-annual exception, and then to potentially get some minimum values to fill out the roster.”
That’s the balancing act for Los Angeles. The team has been linked to Jonathan Kuminga, Cam Johnson, and P.J.
Washington as possible final additions, and any one of them would give the roster a real boost. But if the Lakers want to stay eligible for the non-taxpayer MLE, they likely need to send out enough money in a deal to keep their payroll in check.
That could mean including Jarred Vanderbilt and/or Jake LaRavia in the right trade.
Buha also pointed to the variables still hanging over the situation: “The swing factors here for LA are: what is the potential outgoing salary in any trade for Kuminga, Washington, or anyone else? Is it the expirings, or is it Vando?
Then, it’s what happens with Collin Sexton. Does he opt in, or does he opt out?
If they don’t trade Vando, and they keep him on the books, what is the market for Vando? Can the Lakers flip him next summer?”
Since the Luka Doncic trade, the Lakers have been operating in win-now mode, trying to squeeze value out of every move. Most of their money is tied up in their top three - Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler - which means the biggest improvements are likely to come from the margins. This summer already brought in a batch of role players, including Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jaden Harey, Kevon Looney, and Collin Sexton.
If Rob Pelinka can turn that momentum into one more meaningful addition, the Lakers could enter the season with a stronger starting group and still preserve a route to more help next summer. A player like Kuminga would fit that mold, giving them a starter at small forward. Then, if they stay under the first apron, they could use the MLE next offseason to chase more reinforcements, with names like Miles Bridges or Cam Johnson in the mix.
That’s the appeal here for Los Angeles: a chance to improve now without shutting the door on later upgrades. The catch is simple. They have to thread the needle.
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Hornets May Already Have A Young Big Drawing Serious Trade Interest
The Lakers have spent the offseason trying to keep their roster moving forward, and the search for more frontcourt help has not stopped with the bigger names on their board. Along with their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga, they have also been linked to another young big who could fit a clear need for defense and depth at center, a profile that has become increasingly important as the roster takes shape.
Any path to getting him, though, looks complicated. The Hornets are believed to want draft picks in return, while the Lakers do not have much to offer and are already working around salary commitments that limit their flexibility. Even if the fit makes sense on paper, the real question is whether Los Angeles can create a workable deal before the season or whether it has to wait and see how the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers May Have The Edge In Kuminga Race But One Issue Lingers
Jonathan Kuminga is still on the board in free agency, and the longer he remains unsigned, the more the Lakers path starts to look like the cleanest one available. Los Angeles has been in the mix along with Cleveland and Minnesota, but the market around him has been shaped as much by contract structure as by basketball fit, with other teams trying to navigate around the kind of deal Kuminga seems to want.
Minnesotas financial ceiling is lower, which leaves the Lakers with the clearest room to make a real push if the sides can get aligned. The Cavaliers have looked into a sign-and-trade, but that route comes with its own complications, and for now the bigger question is whether Kuminga settles on a short-term arrangement or keeps waiting for something that better matches his leverage. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Title Core Suddenly Linked To A Massive Kevin Durant Twist
Kevin Durants future in Houston is already drawing leaguewide attention, and the latest chatter has only added another layer to the uncertainty. The Rockets acquisition of Durant was supposed to give them a marquee star to build around, but reports now suggest the team is weighing its options as it looks at different ways to shape the roster around that move.
What makes the situation especially intriguing is the way other teams have entered the conversation, with a three-team framework starting to take shape around Houston, Detroit and Brooklyn. The Rockets would be positioned to get a major return package back, but the real intrigue is that Durants preferences may be steering the discussion in a direction that could reshape the next phase of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]