Lakers have money to spend, but there’s a catch

The Lakers may have money to spend this summer. Whether they can actually use it to dramatically improve the roster is another question entirely.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, rival executives view much of the Lakers’ projected salary-cap room as “phantom” cap space, largely because creating it would require losing key contributors.

In other words, the Lakers can open significant room under the cap. But doing so could come at a cost.

To get there, Los Angeles would likely have to move on from both LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, removing a combined 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists per game from the lineup.

Then there’s Austin Reaves.

The Lakers are widely expected to re-sign Reaves in free agency, but keeping him won’t necessarily make the roster better. It simply keeps one of their best players in place, Windhorst noted.

That leaves the front office searching for ways to improve around Luka Doncic, who missed the entire postseason with a hamstring injury but remains the centerpiece of the franchise moving forward.

One area that continues to draw attention is center.

Windhorst noted that restricted free agents Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren could be targets, though acquiring either would be complicated. The Lakers could also explore trade options, but those would require additional assets and financial maneuvering.

As for James, Windhorst suggested many around the league still believe the most likely outcome is a return to Los Angeles. That may ultimately be the Lakers’ best path forward anyway.

The Lakers won 53 games this past season, still have Doncic in his prime and remain one of the league’s premier destinations. But if anyone expects a dramatic roster overhaul this summer, Windhorst’s message was simple:

It may not be quite that easy.