Lakers Have Reportedly Discussed Six Players to Target in Free Agency

The Lakers were quiet at this year’s NBA trade deadline. The only notable addition to the roster was the acquisition of sharpshooter Luke Kennard in a deal with the Hawks. Otherwise Los Angeles stood pat despite holding a top-five seed in the Western Conference.

President Rob Pelinka spun the team’s inaction as being “aggressive” in turning down trades that didn’t make sense for the long-term future of the franchise, which reflects the NBA world’s larger belief that the Lakers plan to be quite active this upcoming offseason. This belief is backed up by the organization’s financial situation heading into the summer of 2026, where the Lakers are projected to have roughly $50 million in cap space.

That number could swing dramatically one way or the other depending on what unfolds with LeBron James and Austin Reaves. James’s $52.7 million deal comes off the books this summer, but whether he’ll play in L.A. next season, and for what price point, is up in the air. Reaves, meanwhile, is in the midst of a breakout campaign and is all but certain to seek a huge new contract while turning down a $14.9 million player option for next year. But between whatever cap space they have left and three draft picks they have to offer up, the Lakers should have plenty of assets.

There are all sorts of paths for the Lakers to take with those resources. The most popular and obvious talking point will be whether they can land Giannis Antetokounmpo should the Bucks opt to trade their franchise star after the turmoil of this season. But given how many moving parts there are in that situation, it’s impossible to bank the whole offseason on such a big move. The Lakers have to at least prepare for the possibility a pie-in-the-sky acquisition of Antetokounmpo doesn’t come to fruition.

To that end, a new report on Tuesday revealed Los Angeles has internally discussed a group of six players as possible targets in free agency. It’s a mix of restricted and unrestricted free agents, all of whom are wing players who are capable of hitting shots from deep. Those are the most valuable players in today’s NBA and every team wants to acquire as many as possible. But for Los Angeles in particular that skillset is necessary to compete at the highest level with Luka Dončić as the centerpiece of the roster.

Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, players who have been “discussed internally” by the Lakers ahead of free agency include: Andrew Wiggins, Tari Eason, Tobias Harris, Quentin Grimes, Dean Wade and Peyton Watson. Each player fits into a similar archetype but brings different particular skills to the table. Each of their individual free agent situations are unique, too.

The Lakers cannot land all of these players even if they don’t succeed in landing a big star. They may very well only end up signing one. On top of all that, Los Angeles only has a rough idea of next year’s roster needs given the uncertain future of Reaves and James.

Nevertheless, we can evaluate each player’s fit alongside Dončić and how they might figure into the long-term plans of the Lakers.

Evaluating Lakers’ reported free agent targets

Andrew Wiggins

Wiggins is the middle-of-the-road target for the Lakers. He boasts the standard three-and-D skillset, hitting 39% of his tries beyond the arc for the Heat this year in 50 games while adequately defending the perimeter. However, a foray into free agency isn’t a guarantee; Wiggins has a player option worth $30 million for next season. He could turn that down and go to a more preferred team than his current home in Miami but he isn’t likely to earn a higher salary on the open market so it’s a complicated situation.

Wiggins has been underwhelming since leaving the Warriors but wouldn’t cost a fortune to sign in free agency as a result (should he end up there) and it’s reasonable for Los Angeles to hope he’d fit well playing next to a Tier-1 star like Dončić. At 30 years old Wiggins isn’t a long-term centerpiece but would make for a solid enough signing if he became available; a trade that turns into an extension with a much lower annual price point seems like a possibility.

Peyton Watson

Watson has enjoyed a breakout season for the Nuggets, putting up a career-high 14.9 points per game and hitting 41% of his three-pointers. He is a long, strong defender averaging 2.2 steals/blocks per game while often drawing the toughest defensive assignment. Best of all, he’s only 23 years old.

So why would Denver let such a player walk in restricted free agency? Because the Nuggets' cap sheet is already very crowded, with five players slated to make over $20 million next season. If Watson is dead-set on getting a raise that reflects his on-court talent and his current team can’t find a way to pay him, that opens up a big opportunity for a team such as the Lakers.

Watson would be a great fit alongside Dončić in the present and future. But his coveted skillset and restricted free agent status means it’ll cost a lot of the Lakers’ resources to bring him to town.

Tobias Harris

Harris has long carved out a role as a dependable forward who can hit the occasional shot and is always in the right position defensively. His effectiveness in that role has slowly declined in recent years as Harris has gotten older; the 33-year-old is scoring only 13.4 points per game this year on 45.5% shooting from the floor and 35.5% from deep. But as far as replacement-level wing options with a positive locker room reputation go, the Lakers could do worse than Harris.

It’s unlikely the veteran will command a large contract upon hitting unrestricted free agency this summer. Harris therefore represents a low-cost option for the Lakers to fill out their rotation, but he alone won’t solve any of the roster’s current issues.

Quentin Grimes

Grimes is probably the archetypical three-and-D guard who will be available this offseason. The 25-year-old guard is averaging 12.7 points for the 76ers while shooting 34.1% from beyond the arc. While his current number is not a good make percentage, interested teams will hope last year’s 38.5% three-point mark is more indicative of his potential. He’ll also be fully available as an unrestricted free agent and Philadelphia doesn’t seem terribly eager to re-sign him.

The market for Grimes will vary quite a bit depending on how NBA teams view his shooting numbers. He’d make for a fine fit in the backcourt next to Dončić but doesn’t offer the same frontcourt versatility most of the other options in this space do.

Tari Eason

Eason is an impending restricted free agent for a fellow West competitor in the Rockets so prying him out of Houston may prove difficult. But he is, in theory, a great match for the Lakers. Eason is a chaos agent on defense who can defend a variety of positions and is not afraid of dirty work. Offensively he’s much more of a wild card; Eason is shooting 46% from deep this year after failing to crest 36% in any of his previous three seasons and shoots 44% from inside the arc. A bit of a mixed bag, to say the least.

Eason is a logical target for Los Angeles and at the right price could be a nice long-term piece at 24 years old. But if his offense doesn’t continue to develop there’s a real risk of overpaying, especially given he’s a restricted free agent.

Dean Wade

Wade falls into the Harris bucket of a perfectly adequate rotation player who cannot be relied upon to patch up the bigger holes the Lakers’ roster contains. He’s a lifetime 36% three-point shooter but is only taking 3.5 attempts per game beyond the arc this year. Wade is a versatile and usually stout defender but fails to force many turnovers. Looming above it all is an availability issue; he’s played 60 games in one of five seasons since becoming a regular rotation player for the Cavaliers.

Still, for the right price those flaws can be overlooked. Wade should prove gettable as an unrestricted free agent and likely won’t be too expensive. Switchable defenders who can threaten defenses from beyond the arc in any capacity are useful and their impact is multiplied when Dončić is on the floor. A solid if unspectacular option.

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.