The Los Angeles Lakers are entering an offseason that will soon be defined by three agonizing words: "Restricted free agency." The Lakers' goal of building a sustainable contender around Luka Doncic is causing them to run through a long list of players they'll only be able to sign if their current team allows it to happen.
Though it's far from an uncommon dilemma, the Lakers' all but absolute reliance on such an unlikely event transpiring is a direct result of how they've disregarded developing talent themselves.
The list of players Los Angeles has been linked to entering the 2026 offseason is a who's who of top restricted free agents. At center, the names that commonly appear on the purple and gold's radar are Detroit Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Utah Jazz shot-blocker Walker Kessler.
Along the wings, the likes of Tari Eason of the Houston Rockets and Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets are commonly mentioned as players Los Angeles is interested in signing.
Unfortunately, all four of those players are restricted free agents. As such, their current teams can match any offer sheet that they sign with the Lakers and thus prevent the deal from going through—no matter how interested the two sides may be in making a contract work.
As a result, the Lakers may need to pay above market value for the talent they covet. It's a direct result of not drafting and developing key rotational cogs themselves.
Lakers could've avoided potential RFA overpays by drafting talent
Los Angeles has been justified in some of its trades, particularly the deals that landed Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic. The harsh reality, however, is that they gave up three separate first-round picks in deals for D'Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder, and Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers also drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17 overall in 2023, only to trade him within two seasons. The two players who bookended the selection: Keyonte George and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Missing on Hood-Schifino hurts even more when one considers that 2024 first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht fell out of the rotation in 2025-26. He still has time to right the ship, but the possibility exists that the Lakers could've failed to find a rotational fit on two straight attempts.
To make matters worse, Los Angeles was without a first-round pick in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025, and will again be down a first-rounder in 2027 and 2029.
If even one of those picks had been a rotation-caliber wing defender or center, the Lakers may not be as desperate for talent as they are in 2026. Thankfully, they can begin to learn from past mistakes by utilizing the No. 25 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft to begin developing talent from within.
The Lakers must adapt to their current situation and do what they can to land the players they need, but one can't help but wish they'd managed their assets better to prevent an over-reliance on restricted free agency improbably working out in their favor.
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