What are the Lakers’ needs and who are they targeting for roster makeover?

The Lakers are under a full-on roster reconstruction.

And their latest move on Friday, trading Deandre Ayton to the Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two of Washington’s second-round picks (2031 and 2032), made clear another area they need to address while making it easier for them to reconfigure the roster.

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Ayton joined LeBron James (next team to be determined), Marcus Smart (Rockets), Luke Kennard (Suns) and Jaxson Hayes (Jazz) as players from the Lakers’ 2025-26 squad who’ll be on another team next season.

Add in Rui Hachimura, who remains an unrestricted free agent and has multiple teams expressing interest in signing the 6-foot-8 forward, and there’s a strong likelihood the Lakers won’t return any of the players who started for them (Smart, Kennard, James, Hachimura and Ayton) in the first five games of their first-round playoffs series victory over the Rockets.

The Lakers are under a full-on roster reconstruction. Getty Images

And with two roster spots, four tradeable draft picks and a little bit more financial flexibility at their disposal, the Lakers’ focus is on addressing the glaring holes on the roster. NBAE via Getty Images

The players the Lakers are adding: Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million), Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million) and Hardy (two years, $12 million).

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That’s in addition to re-signing Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million) and selecting Cameron Carr with the No. 24 pick of the draft and signing him to his rookie scale contract (four years, $16.8 million) on Thursday.

And with two roster spots, four tradeable draft picks and a little bit more financial flexibility at their disposal, the Lakers’ focus is on addressing the glaring holes on the roster.

What are the needs?

A backup big man behind Kessler and a defensive-minded wing/forward who, ideally, can start alongside Kessler, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and possibly Grimes.

As currently constructed, the Lakers are very guard/backcourt-heavy with Doncic, Reaves, Grimes, Sexton, Hardy, Carr and Bronny James,…

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Publish date : 2026-07-03 23:07:00

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