The Los Angeles Lakers have more than their fair share of contract decisions to make in the upcoming offseason — so much so that only Luka Doncic really comes across as an absolute. Everything else? That much remains in flux.
A huge storyline that has consistently followed the Lakers is how they set themselves up for a major makeover in the summer of 2026. The constant indicators of the rumor mill have pointed to remodeling this roster around Doncic and doing so with Austin Reaves as the primary running mate.
Who are the other guys expected to fill out the team around those two? That much is tough to concretely say. What is even more difficult would be predicting which of the current Lakers are going to stick around. However, a recent ESPN report provided some clues on that matter.
The team of Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps wrote: "They have interest in re-signing Reaves, Jaxson Hayes and Luke Kennard, team sources told ESPN, not to mention [Rui] Hachimura, if the price is right."
Lakers are starting to pinpoint which members of their current roster should stay
The main topic of the inside look from ESPN had to do with the big question of whether LeBron James sticks around in Los Angeles beyond this season. For those interested in that saga, the list of reasons for James to ride out into the sunset with the Lakers is growing.
Past the obvious elephant in the room, and the should-be formality of bringing back Reaves, seeing the reported stances on the role players is interesting.
Hayes has made an increasingly strong case continue his time with the Lakers. His improved play and clear chemistry with Doncic make sense of why Rob Pelinka and company would want him around for next season.
Kennard's addition to the Lakers has been nothing short of a slam dunk on Pelinka's part. The spacing brought by the newest sharpshooter in Los Angeles, even when he is not putting those shots up, has been absolutely invaluable.
Hachimura is the one that warrants the most intrigue. The report mentioned the price being right for a Rui return to Los Angeles. One would imagine the Lakers have little interest in keeping their floor-spacing forward around the same yearly salary of $18.3 million that he is currently on.
Hachimura and his 43.6 mark of shooting from beyond the arc would fit well around a Doncic-led future. However, the Lakers will undoubtedly be eyeing external additions to be made with some of the money that could also go to Rui.
There is sound reasoning behind exploring a return for each of those names. Creating some semblance of stability after a year of uncertainty would help set the tone in a positive way, too. Even so, the Lakers should continue to make all the evaluations possible, between now and the summer months.