The Los Angeles Lakers plan to use a significant portion of their projected $50 million in 2026 cap space to retain four key free agents, according to ESPN reporters Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps.
Team sources told ESPN that the front office hopes to bring back guard Austin Reaves, forwards Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard, and center Jaxson Hayes when free agency opens this summer.
Reaves, 27, will decline his $14.9 million player option to enter unrestricted free agency, sources familiar with his plans said. His cap hold is already included in the Lakers’ $50 million projection, but a long-term deal would decrease the club’s remaining flexibility.
The Lakers possess full Bird rights only on Hachimura, allowing them to exceed the cap to re-sign him. Raises for Kennard or Hayes would have to come directly from cap space.
Los Angeles can keep LeBron James on a new contract without tapping into that space because the franchise also holds his full Bird rights, the report added.
MVP Discussion Surrounding Luka Doncic
Inside the locker room, head coach JJ Redick and several teammates continue to lobby for Luka Doncic in the 2026 MVP race. Redick said the star guard could secure the award with a strong finish over the final seven games of the regular season.
Doncic is widely viewed as trailing leading candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, but the Lakers remain optimistic he can draw additional first-place votes before ballots are due.
The Lakers enter the postseason on a hot streak, and how far they advance could influence the scope of their offseason spending.
Source: Lakers Nation
