After spending the early parts of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, the 2025-26 season was the first in which Jake LaRavia got a taste of playoff minutes. It did not go all too well for the Los Angeles Lakers wing. Instead of standing out among the Lakers' lackluster depth, LaRavia ended up adding to the problem.
To his credit, effort and capable defense are two things that can be expected from the young Laker on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the offensive firepower was not something that came with that during the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
LaRavia only averaged 3.3 points in 14.3 minutes per game for the Lakers during the postseason. That production came at 33.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. In layman's terms, the 24-year-old could barely hit the side of a barn.
It got bad enough that JJ Redick yanked LaRavia from the rotation before the postseason was over. In the final two games of the season, the Lakers coach opted for the young and unproven Adou Thiero instead. Ahead of a pivotal offseason in Los Angeles, that does not speak kindly to LaRavia's long-term future in purple and gold.
Lakers already have just cause to move on from Jake LaRavia
Heading into the offseason, LaRavia is one of six Lakers who have a guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal on the cap books. He joins Luka Doncic, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James (partial), and Thiero in that group.
LaRavia's $6 million contract makes him immediately stick out as a trade candidate for a mid-tier upgrade to the Lakers depth. It would be tough to blame Rob Pelinka if he cut his losses this early.
The first addition made of the 2025 offseason after letting Dorian Finney-Smith walk was LaRavia. There were promising stretches throughout the regular season, but the final result ultimately wound up being uneven.
LaRavia was most haunted throughout the year by his inability to knock down open shots.
During the regular season, LaRavia could only hit 31.6 percent of his 3-point looks that had his closest defender further than six feet. That would be what the NBA classifies as wide open.
After shooting 42.3 percent from deep in 2024-25 on limited volume (2.2 attempts per game), there was hope that LaRavia could shoot a healthy mark for the Lakers upon his arrival. That was not the case, and unfortunately for him, draining his buckets is a non-negotiable.
In an offseason where no stone will go unturned, LaRavia could easily find himself on the chopping block. The Lakers will reportedly be aggressive on the trade market. With few other guaranteed contracts to trade but Jake, that could bring his time in Los Angeles to an end after only one year.
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