2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

FrontOfJersey22 · Jul 4, 2026 at 7:18 PM

Weezy said: ↑

Absolutely, we’ll take two second rounders

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And Rob stipulates that they must switch the Team Option for his last year into a PO.

abeer3 · Jul 4, 2026 at 7:38 PM

svtzr said: ↑

Kuminga wants to be Luka not DJJ or PJ.
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if he wants that, he'll force a trade to milwaukee instead of us. problem solved.

if he comes here, i'd have to believe he understands that there's a gs wiggins role to fill that could be lucrative--especially since the difference in this contract is likely to be small, wherever he lands.

i also don't understand taking it as a given that denver would let jones walk to us in RFA.

kuminga is option 1, and this makes perfect sense to me.

jones and rui are good fallback options.

JSM · Jul 4, 2026 at 7:45 PM

Kuminga update

The Lakers, league sources say, are focused on adding a wing and another big man after Friday's agreement with Washington to trade Deandre Ayton for the slightly less expensive Jaden Hardy and two future second-round picks.

And a good bit of that focus, sources say, has involved Kuminga.

Yet it remained unclear as of Saturday morning just how quickly Kuminga's future can be resolved given the ongoing LeBron Sweepstakes. The Cavaliers, for example, are known to be interested in the 23-year-old — with Kenny Atkinson, in particular, said to be a fan after coaching Kuminga in Golden State as an assistant to Steve Kerr — but they are naturally hoping for more time to allow James' process to play out.

Sources say that Atlanta remains quite open to re-signing Kuminga or participating in a sign-and-trade. The Congolese swingman has also drawn interest from Milwaukee
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Update on our big man search

New York expressed interest in veteran center Kevon Looney, sources say, while also monitoring Charlotte's high-energy Moussa Diabate. Yet the Knicks ultimately landed on Drummond, who ironically chose the Lakers over the Knicks late in the 2020-21 season after being bought out by the Cavaliers.

Looney remains on the Lakers' radar, sources say, as does Nuggets center Jonas Valančiūnas. The latter, remember, was a Lakers free agent target two summers ago before Valančiūnas opted to sign a multiyear deal with Washington instead.

Sources say that the Lakers' interest, furthermore, is certainly welcomed by the Nuggets, who have made Valančiūnas available in trade conversations since Denver's season ended and especially in connection with the recent draft as the Nuggets explored various deals while also shopping the No. 26 overall pick. Denver ultimately shipped that selection to San Antonio for the No. 35 pick and two future second-rounders. Valančiūnas' $10 million salary for next season can be reduced to $2 million if he is waived by July 8, but NBA interest in the 34-year-old only seems to be growing given the increasing need for proven size that so many teams feel. The notion that Valančiūnas is destined to return to Europe is, like last summer, suddenly a murky topic again.
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Latest from Denver

Watson, meanwhile, is said to be seeking a deal north of the $25 million in average annual value that Christian Braun secured from Denver in October. How feasible that is in this marketplace remains to be seen.
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We're told that the Nuggets have rebuffed several trade offers from teams attempting to pry away Cam Johnson.

Some rival teams projected the Nuggets to prioritize trying to trade Braun in the wake of a first-round exit, but the timing was clearly suboptimal given Braun's injuries last season and the fact that his five-year deal is only just beginning in 2026-27.
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ElginTheGreat · Jul 4, 2026 at 7:55 PM

abeer3 said: ↑

if he wants that, he'll force a trade to milwaukee instead of us. problem solved.

if he comes here, i'd have to believe he understands that there's a gs wiggins role to fill that could be lucrative--especially since the difference in this contract is likely to be small, wherever he lands.

i also don't understand taking it as a given that denver would let jones walk to us in RFA.

kuminga is option 1, and this makes perfect sense to me.

jones and rui are good fallback options.
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Feels like the Nuggets are more willing to spend than everyone anticipated

OX1947 · Jul 4, 2026 at 8:31 PM

ElginTheGreat said: ↑

Feels like the Nuggets are more willing to spend than everyone anticipated
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They have to. Jokic extension looms.

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2026-27 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

FrontOfJersey22 - Lakers All Star -

abeer3 - Lakers Legend -

JSM - Lakers Legend -

ElginTheGreat - Lakers Legend -

OX1947 - Lakers MVP -

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