Lakers News: Four Los Angeles Players Could Become Free Agents Saturday

The Purple and Gold could look quite different on the court next season.

Mar 27, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts with guard D'Angelo Russell (1) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers could look quite different in 2024-25. Four rotation players all hold options for next season, which they will have to decline or pick up by Saturday.

Obviously 20-time All-NBA combo forward LeBron James and his $51.4 million player option are the prime focus, but starting point guard D'Angelo Russell, reserve power forward Cam Reddish and deep-bench center Jaxson Hayes all have big decisions to make, too.

Russell has an $18.7 million player option for next year, and with the market rapidly thinning, it seems quite possible he'll pick it up and dare Los Angeles brass to trade him.

Reddish and Hayes are both owed identical $2.5 million veteran's minimum deals. The two reserves signed "prove-it" one-and-one contracts with L.A. in 2023.

At least Reddish showed flashes of promise on one end of the court.

The 6-foot-8 Duke product earned a starting berth early on, as former head coach Darvin Ham appeared to be a major fan of his defensive acumen, despite the fact that Reddish's extended run really cramped the team's spacing optionality. All told, Reddish averaged a scant 5.4 points on a dismal slash line of .389/.336/.759, plus 2.1 rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Hayes continues to look incredibly raw even five seasons into his pro career. The 7-foot big man posted averages of just 4.3 points and three rebounds across 70 regular season contests (five starts), in 12.5 minutes per.

When it comes to James, it seems like the Lakers' selection of his son, former USC Trojans combo guard Bronny James, with the No. 55 pick in the draft's second round was done with his free agency in mind. It's starting to seem increasingly likely that, even if he does opt out, James will stay in Tinseltown.

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