It's been nearly a full year since the Los Angeles Lakers emerged from their bomb shelter and dropped a trade nuke on the rest of the league, acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. We probably shouldn't expect an encore at the 2026 trade deadline. Sure, the Lakers might make some small deals to improve the overall defense or add some bench scoring as they currently rank last in bench points per game, but a blockbuster feels unlikely.
And that's okay — because the this summer feels more important than the looming trade deadline anyway. Making sure to keep things as flexible as possible for a potentially chaotic free agency period is how the Lakers should operate.
Lakers need to think about future free agency before making any moves
LeBron James will be an unrestricted free agent and questions about whether he'll return for a 24th season (and if he'll return to the Lakers) have been flying for months now. Austin Reaves will also be an unrestricted free agent when he turns down his $14 million player option.
Presumably, Reaves will sign a massive contract to stay with the Lakers and James will sign a one-year deal to conduct his retirement tour. But with both players having the ability to test free agency, nothing feels set in stone, and that's why — if the Lakers do "buy" at the deadline — they should try to only add players on expiring deals so that next year's cap sheet is clean as can be.
I know that it feels like every move is crucial right now as the Lakers have enough starpower to compete in the West, but not enough of a supporting cast to make as deep a run as fans desire. I'm not saying don't make a move in the next few weeks; maybe the players to round out this year's roster will become available at the deadline, like a Keon Ellis, or a Collin Sexton.
But any non-star player who would take up space on next year's cap sheet might ne a risk not worth taking. If Michael Porter Jr is on the table for the Lakers, they should obviously make a play at him. But being ready to retain Reaves and LeBron (or make a big free agent addition if LeBron hangs it up this summer) will set this team up much better for the long-term, even if it's hard to think about the state of the team in 2030.