Let the Luka Doncic era begin where the Lakers go from here after LeBron James stunning exit
LeBron James will play a record-extending 24th NBA season in 2026-27. But it won’t be for the Lakers, marking the end of his tenure dawning the Purple and Gold after eight straight seasons with the Lakers — the most consecutive seasons he’s spent with a single franchise in his legendary career. And while there’s uncertainty about James’ next team, with the Warriors and Cavaliers among the teams pursuing James, the Lakers received certainty on Tuesday morning before the start of free agency: They can, and will, fully entrench themselves in the Luka Doncic era as they look to build a championship-level roster around the superstar guard. And they’re equipped with the resources and optionality to do so. The Lakers entered free agency with the ability to create over $50 million in cap space depending on what they do with the rights (and cap holds) with their own free agents outside of James (Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber).And with only seven players officially on the roster (Doncic, Jarred Vanderbilt.Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Bronny James and Adou Thiero) entering Tuesday, they have a lot of holes to fill.The Lakers already took care of their top priority of the offseason by agreeing to terms with Austin Reaves on a four-year, $185 million contract to pair the star guard alongside Doncic for the team’s starting backcourt for the now and foreseeable future. But there are still clear needs. Even with Deandre Ayton, who was the Lakers’ starting center during the 2025-26 season, opting into his $8.1 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday, the team is still targeting other big men — which was one of Doncic’s main desires entering the offseason.The Lakers have targeted restricted free agents Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Jazz, both of whom would be clear upgrades over Ayton as the starting big man. Duren is coming off an All-Star and All-NBA third-team season.
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