The Los Angeles Lakers are in a prime position to become major free agency players in 2026. With LeBron James’ contract set to expire after this coming season, the Lakers will actually have plenty of cap room, even with Luka Dončić’s new extension.
However, just because the Lakers are projected to have money does not mean they should spend it just because. They know from previous experience what happens when a team spends recklessly. For that reason, they need to choose carefully with the money they have.
Lakers’ Cap Projection for 2026 & Who They Could Chase
On August 6, ESPN released a graphic (aggregated by Oh No He Didn’t) detailing how much available money they have this summer.
Lakers got a lot of cap space for next summer 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y6rQymL5QG
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) August 6, 2025
While James might be the biggest contract coming off their books this offseason, other decently-sized deals are also expiring. That includes Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber. Austin Reaves also has a player option, which he will likely opt out of to chase a more expensive contract.
While some may say whoopty doo for the Lakers, next summer will feature a pretty impressive class of free agents.
Among the biggest names who will (or could) hit the open market are Kevin Durant (unrestricted free agent), Trae Young (player option), and James Harden (player option). While those are some star names, the Lakers have to consider who would be the best players to put next to Dončić.
They could raise the Lakers’ ceiling overall, but whether they would be a good fit next to Dončić would be in question, seeing as the Lakers’ superstar is at his best when he has the ball in his hands.
Los Angeles should also consider players who could round out the edges of the potential contender they would have to put around Dončić. Players like Isaiah Hartenstein (team option), Dyson Daniels (restricted free agent), and Coby White (unrestricted free agent) could fit better with what the Lakers want than a star would because of how well they would play next to Dončić.
Above all else, the Lakers have spent unwisely before and have paid the price for doing so. Before signing James in 2018, they signed Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng to contracts neither truly deserved and paid somewhat dearly for the money they gave them. That’s why this time, they need to be careful, especially now that Dončić is locked up for the foreseeable future.
It would be something if, following all the drama that’s happened this summer, this all ends with James back in Hollywood to finish the rest of his NBA career.
