Lakers News: Reporter Maps Out Ideal Free Agent Summer For LA

Several young Lakers could hit the open market.

Your Los Angeles Lakers have a fascinating summer in front of them. Despite only officially having four players (All-NBA small forward LeBron James, center Anthony Davis, power forward Jarred Vanderbilt, and rookie swingman Max Christie) under contract heading into 2023-24, the team could quickly find its cap space knotted up depending on how it chooses to move forward with several of its other players.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports recently ran through how he believes LA's front office would like to operate this summer.

Fischer believes "it would be a true shock" were the Lakers to let restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura walk, as both exciting young players stepped up big-time in the club's postseason run to the Western Conference Finals.

Though Reaves' value to other clubs seems liable to go beyond this mark, Fischer notes that Los Angeles would prefer to ink starting shooting guard Reaves to something in the terrain of a four-year, $50 million contract, the most it possibly can under the Gilbert Arenas Provision. This would enable LA to still be able to use its non-taxpayer mid-level exception (which should be worth around $12.2 million this summer) and its $4.5 million annual exception on new role players to help flesh out the team's depth.

In this scenario, the Lakers could then retain power forward Hachimura and starting point guard D'Angelo Russell using their Bird Rights. Fischer notes that Russell, who had been hoping to secure a four-year, $100 million new contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves before they shipped him to Los Angeles, may have to settle for something in the terrain of a two-year, $40 million deal following his underwhelming playoff performance, which would work better for LA, anyway, as it maneuvers to retain so many of these players.

Assuming a competitor opts to ink Reaves to a deal beyond the $50 million number (which LA cannot go above), that could throw a wrench into this entire plan, and restrict some of the Lakers' other team-building aspirations this summer.

Fischer is dubious the Lakers retain their other intriguing free agent, swingman Lonnie Walker, coming off a one-year, $6.5 million deal this year.

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