The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly registered interest in restricted free agent Peyton Watson at the trade deadline and entering free agency. Unfortunately, Watson proved too pricey to acquire and ultimately joined the Cleveland Cavaliers instead. Thankfully, a new target may have emerged who can fill the Watson void: Anthony Black.
Black is still under contract and is unlikely to be traded this season, but the Orlando Magic's unwillingness to give him the ideal extension is a sign that 2027 free agency drama is a possibility.
Black, 22, has become one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. He's an excellent on-ball defender, a dynamic scoring threat, and a skilled playmaker who stands at 6'7" and can operate as anything from a wing to a point guard.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Black's upside and immediate value haven't yet convinced the Magic to give him an extension in the same range as Brandin Podziemski at five years and $110 million. Per Windhorst, Podziemski's deal has "framed [Black's] contract talks."
"Brandin Podziemski is a comparable player to Black and his five-year, $110 million deal with the Warriors last week has framed his contract talks to a degree, especially because Podziemski and Black share an agent, Bill Duffy. The Magic, sources said, have not yet been willing to offer the same $22 million per year average that Podziemski signed."
In saying that, a rival executive believes that an in-season trade is off the table due to how badly the Magic need Black—for both basketball and financial reasons.
"I don't think they trade him now even if they don't get a deal," an Eastern Conference executive said of Black. "They are under pressure to win this season because of that payroll, and they need him because of Suggs' injury issues."
That makes Black a potential Watson 2.0 situation as a player who won't be moved in-season, but could be an alluring option for the Lakers in free agency.
Anthony Black could be a dream free agency target in 2027
Black is coming off of a season during which he averaged 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game. Each of those numbers marked a new career-best, including the 5.6-point jump in his scoring average.
Black's three-point shot is still a question mark, but at 1.6 conversions per game on 33.3 percent shooting, there is something to work with—or at least monitor as the Lakers decide if he's worth making a run at.
In saying that, the current areas of strength are more than enough to create initial interest. He's a 6'7" playmaker who can run the offense in transition, create for himself in the half-court, and make plays both on and away from the ball on defense.
Though he isn't the shooter that Watson has become, Black is a player whom the Lakers could realistically plug in alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to create an even more dangerous starting lineup.
Anthony Black is a 6'7" playmaker with two-way value and huge upside
Defensively, Black is already one of the better players in the NBA. In addition to averaging 2.5 stocks—steals plus blocks—per 36 minutes, he ranked in the 96th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 81st percentile in off-ball chaser defense in 2025-26, per Basketball Index.
Black achieved those feats while ranking in the 98th percentile in matchup difficulty, which reflects the caliber of players he was defending.
Moreover, Black's height hasn't prevented him from specializing in defending point guards. That invaluable skill makes him an ideal fit for a system that must take pressure off of Doncic and Reaves, who aren't necessarily ideally suited to take on players at the 1.
That's one of the primary reasons Quentin Grimes is such an ideal fit in Los Angeles—but what if the Lakers thought outside the box with their next starting five?
Lakers could create a unique starting lineup with Anthony Black
Doncic has the size and strength to defend power forwards, which is something Lakers head coach JJ Redick could ask him to do in this scenario. That would position Black, Grimes, and Reaves to all start and defend positions 1 through 3, all the while offering value in on and off-ball sets offensively.
It'd be a risky endeavor on some fronts, but if Black continues to develop as he has, it'd be an endeavor worth considering.
The obvious hurdle for Los Angeles would be creating the financial flexibility to take on an annual salary exceeding $20 million per season. Jarred Vanderbilt's player option is a hurdle, but an expiring figure should be easier to move than his current deal, which carries multi-year risk.
From there, it's a matter of relinquishing Jake LaRavia's cap hold, declining team options for Jaden Hardy and Dalton Knecht, and pursuing the sign-and-trade route.
That could unfortunately cost the Lakers draft capital, which is a questionable route to consider. If they believe in Black, however, then it'd at least be worth weighing the pros against the cons and exploring how he'd fit.
Missing out on Watson hurt, but the Lakers could rectify that miss by pursuing Black in 2027 if his extension rumors hold true.
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