Luka Dončić

Lakers insider Jovan Buha said on his show Buha's Block that Austin Reaves isn't going anywhere soon, but outlined hypothetical paths that could change that. One scenario has Reaves plateauing or struggling to justify his new contract.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports the Lakers are aware Luka Doncic could leave once his current deal ends, and are trying to build around him accordingly. Windhorst said that awareness partly drove the offseason move to add a center.

A three-team trade proposal would send PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. to the Lakers, reuniting them with former Mavericks teammate Luka Doncic.

Jovan Buha said on his Buha's Block show that Los Angeles remains interested in trading for a starting-caliber power forward, whether now or closer to the deadline.

Lakers insider Khobi Price says any pre-camp addition would likely be center depth behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, with Orlando's Goga Bitadze remaining a name in that conversation despite a heated in-game exchange with Luka Doncic last March that drew technical fouls for both.

A trade idea floated by Heavy would send Derrick Jones Jr. from the Clippers to the Lakers, reuniting him with Luka Doncic after the two shared the 2024 Finals run in Dallas.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report lists Dereck Lively II among young players who could hit the trade block, pointing to his injury record, the final year of his rookie deal and a Dallas frontcourt now built around Cooper Flagg.

A trade proposal would send Ty Jerome from Memphis to Los Angeles, with Jaden Hardy and 2031 and 2032 second-round picks going back the other way.

With Jonathan Kuminga agreeing to a two-year, $13 million deal in Minnesota, Bleacher Report's Andrew Peters lists PJ Washington, De'Andre Hunter and Bruce Brown as the Lakers' likely pivots at power forward.

Grant Williams and a 2030 second-round pick would head to the Lakers in a floated three-team deal, with Charlotte shedding his $14.2 million salary for a 2031 second and the Clippers absorbing Dalton Knecht and Jaxson Hayes-type young pieces via a trade exception.