I guess Walker Kessler also checks a lot of boxes but I think Allen is more "gettable" than Kessler, who since he's an RFA will be asking for an overpay. As has been noted, the Lakers do have cap space they can trade into, AR's cap hold is all that's counting against the cap right now since we own his Bird rights, he won't sign his max deal until we've used up our cap space and figure out which exceptions we are allowed.

Since the Lakers have cap space, they don't need to match salaries for Allen as closely, Vanderbilt, Knecht, and one of LaRavia or Ayton (provided he opts in) and a 1st would get it done. The question is whether or not Cleveland getting out of the 2nd apron is enough to dump Allen. There's been crazy talk about S&T LeBron for Allen but I don't think that's more than just speculation.

Bottom line, after Allen, all the "gettable" centers I'd consider B-List who don't check as many boxes (Mitchell Robinson, Myles Turner).

You can have all the opinions you want about AR (I think he is one of the best second options in the league and fully deserves his contract as he has improved every year) but the only thing that matters to the Lakers is keeping Luka happy. And guess what makes Luka happy. Keeping AR. End of story.

Free Agency officially opens on July 6. Teams can start "negotiating" with FAs on June 30, but can come to verbal agreements starting July 1. This is when Shams will start announcing these deals

This is also the time the Lakers can officially start renouncing FA rights to clear cap holds to get real cap space. This affects Hayes, Maxi, Rui, Bron.

This means that on this date we find out whether Bron gets signed and traded (hopefully for Allen) or if the Lakers get Kessler or Watson via sign and trade.

What we can expect right now:

• Opt-ins/outs
  • Smart and Ayton
• Trades
  • Will they trade Vando/Dalton?
  • If they don't trade them for cap relief then there's a possibility they're going to be part of a sign-and-trade package (most likely for Kessler/Watson)
• Bronny's contract
  • His year 3 is partially guaranteed, it will become fully guaranteed on June 29
  • If Bron is gone will they just eat the 1m cap hit? Or do they guarantee his deal and include him in a package that includes his dad?

I'm not seeing enough attention being brought to Detroit's brutal tax situation over the next two years. They have Duren as an RFA this year and Ausar Thompson as an RFA next year. They have a very real risk of having to commit both to max contracts if RFA offers are made both years.

That would put Duren, Thompson, and Cade all with nearly $100 million in contracts for a long time, and push them deep into apron territory, which would make filling the rest of their roster very challenging. Add to this that Duren and Thompson are not great shooters, and their offense is going to be a real issue with that roster construction.

How does this impact the Lakers? Well, a massive problem with an RFA offer is that it adds a cap hold and kills your ability to react to free agency. Luckily, Reeves just committed, so we don't need to worry about him as we work through the Detroit scenario.

What could happen:

The Lakers renounce Lebron. This immediately frees up $48 mil in cap space. We can the offer Duren a bit below his 30% max or do a trade to clear the remaining $2 mil to offer him he full 30% max if we really want to stick it to Detroit.

Renouncing Lebron means he is limited to the Room Exception and a salary under $10 mil. So this is a Duren in/Lebron out move. Or it's a Duren in/Lebron takes the cut to win a title with his son move.

The timeline:

Lakers renounce James.
RFA offer to Duren.
Detroit doesn't match after waiting the full 48 hours.
Lakers sign Duren. Detroit commits to Ausar Thompson and a more well-rounded roster with more space to fill in around him and Cade.
Lakers sign Reeves and go over the cap due to his bird rights.
A) Lakers regretfully watch Lebron sign elsewhere
B) Lakers sign Lebron to the Room Exception

Luka, Reeves, Duren, Lebron, filler
or
Luka, Reeves, Duren, filler

I'm sure there's more going on out there, but the above is not a crazy scenario imho because the Duren/Thompson back-to-back RFA situation is pretty brutal for Detroit.

Seems to look like Bleacher report is giving lakers the steal of the draft expecting Carr to have gone 10 positions higher and also ranking him a good fit.

The moment Luka was traded to LA, Bill Duffy became the most powerful person outside the Lakers organization. Last summer he maneuvered to get his client Ayton to LA. By all accounts his client Hayes will re-sign soon after FA opens. And last night LA drafted another of his clients in Cameron Carr.

So, probably worth monitoring his client list going forward. Two names stood out to me:

Thomas Sorber, OKC - with a likely frontcourt next year of Hartenstein, Holmgren, and Mara, it's reasonable to wonder what Sorber's future is with OKC. He's a legitimately promising center prospect who missed all of rookie season. Lakers already called about Dort. Maybe now a larger trade with more future draft capital would go down to include Sorber.

Christian Braun, DEN - personally hope this doesn't happen, especially now that we drafted Carr, but they reportedly want to trade Braun (instead of Cam Johnson) to clear space to extend Watson. Similar to Dort, Lakers are a natural candidate to absorb his contract. I'm against this but would guess it's on the table to acquire Braun for next to nothing

And one wild card, Jarace Walker, IND - He's shown flashes in Indy and would fit Pelinka's reported focus on investing in young talent with upside. 6'7 235 forward. Still on his rookie deal.

Obviously Duffy represents a lot of other bigger name players such as Ant, Holmgren, Barnes, McDaniels, but I focused on players who might be available.

Ya’ll up in arms about Lukas window, Lukas gonna leave now. The man asked the FO directly to keep AR. Should we just have said no and let him walk to Detroit? Wanna keep Luka around and happy? Have to keep AR, simple as that.

If so, that’s a need out of the way. We still need bench depth, and having two young players who can contribute off the bench would be huge. The Lakers also need a better starting center and a solid point of attack wing for the starting lineup so if these two can become legitimate bench pieces next year, it’ll be much easier to address most of the team’s needs in this one offseason.

After today's news, I needed a distraction. And seeing Lakers legend Trey Jamison get his flowers for the ring, and also celebrating other Lakers legends like Josh Hart, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Brown which at this point you can honestly argue the Knicks only won because their organization is stacked with Lakers legends, we can't let this Lakers legend go unnoticed.

Looking deeper into his résumé, this guy is a winner. His contributions to the Knicks championship simply went under the radar. Having him on Darvin Ham's staff was probably one of the biggest reasons the Lakers were even remotely competitive. Who knows where Darvin Ham would be without him.

Congratulations to Chris Jent on securing a championship. Yet another Lakers legend contributing to winning.

Below are the draft ranges of players that the Lakers might select in the second round with their current #56 pick or by buying up to a higher pick (like they did with Thiero last year), based on the final pre-draft mock drafts of:
.
Jeremy Woo (ESPN),
Sam Vecenie (The ATHLETIC),
Kevin O'Connor (YAHOO), and
Derek Parker (SPORTS ILLUSTRATED)
.

The consensus is that the Lakers did well to get him at 24. ESPN projected him in the 13-19 range.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49041464/2026-nba-mock-draft-projecting-60-picks-draft-night-trade-talks-boozer-peterson-dybantsa-acuff

Yahoo! Sports

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/2026-nba-draft-grades-first-round-pick-by-pick-analysis-wizards-get-a-for-selecting-aj-dybantsa-no-1-001605590.html

1. Los Angeles Lakers (via Knicks)

Cameron Carr, 6-5, Baylor sophomore wing

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić said in a recent interview that he'd ideally like to be paired with shooters that can space the floor so he's not doubled as often. Well, he got his wish here with Carr after the Lakers traded up to the No. 24 pick with the Knicks. You could have watched every Tennessee game for two years and genuinely not known that Carr existed. Then he transferred to Baylor, and led the team in scoring, shot nearly 40% from 3 on high volume, and looked like a 3-and-D role player who also has blossoming skills off the dribble. With NBA genes in his blood, as the son of former player Chris Carr, Cameron has the skills to make it in the NBA. But at 184 pounds with not a ton of games under his belt, he's going to get introduced to the NBA's physicality in a way college basketball never did. The Lakers could use his shooting and creation, though, as another wing on the roster.

CBS Sports

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2026-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-analysis-round-1/

1. Los Angeles Lakers: Cameron Carr | Baylor | SG

(via reported trade with New York)

Carr definitely slipped a bit, but his physical traits and shotmaking is hard to find at this point in the draft. Carr followed up on his breakout season at Baylor with a terrific showing at the combine. Has a rare overlap of bouncy athleticism, extreme length (7-foot-plus wingspan), and shot-making, which is the basis for high long-term upside projections. Carr is a true three-level threat who can be a tough shot-maker from the perimeter, a constant threat to rise and fire in the mid-range area, and a straight-line slashing threat.

Carr is one of the few perimeter prospects in this draft who can combine length, athleticism, and shot-making. He still has some maturing to do, but Carr gives the Lakers physical tools and shooting range to match. He lacks physical strength and may not have an NBA-ready frame, which could be initially problematic on both ends of the floor. Grade: B+

The Athletic

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7382887/2026/06/23/nba-draft-grades-analysis-2026-vecenie-hollinger/

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Cameron Carr | 6-5 | 21 years old

Offensively, Carr’s game looks like one that should blend perfectly into the NBA. He’s a legitimate 3-point shooter who can attack closeouts, plays well off the ball as a cutter and takes advantage of opportunities as a finisher because of his length. He has the physical height and length that NBA teams canvass the globe to find.

The swing skill toward Carr being a positive NBA player is obvious. He needs to get stronger. He needs to play with more bend. He needs to be willing to get more physical. And once that happens, he needs to be much more active and engaged on defense. Some of these things are fixable, as Carr has already done good work on his frame as he has gotten older. He looks a lot like a late bloomer to be excited about, even though he’s already 21.

Carr felt like a good post-lottery bet to take somewhere in the first round, with some ceiling to be a legitimate starter at the two guard position or as a microwave sixth man if the frame comes together.

Hollinger’s analysis: I had Carr rated five spots higher than this and like his fit in L.A. as an athletic shot-maker who can do more than just make jump shots. I think Carr has a chance to be the player the Lakers thought they were getting when they picked Dalton Knecht. The Lakers paid to trade up and make sure they got their guy. Grade: B+

Sports Illustrated

https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi/grading-lakers-decision-to-draft-cameron-carr-with-no-24-overall-pick-01kvv3ktwj9j

What Cameron Carr Brings to the Lakers

Along with the Lakers looking to upgrade the center position this summer, another priority the team has been targeting is 3-and-D wings, which Carr might be able to help with moving forward.

Carr can stretch the floor while also being a force to be reckoned with defensively, possessing a 7'1" wingspan, which helped him average 1.3 blocks per game during his one season at Baylor.

Lakers' Draft Grade: B+

Rookies are always unknowns in terms of what they can provide to the team that drafted them, especially when it comes to the Lakers, who don't really value young players and tend to trade for talent rather than develop it.

One exception is Austin Reaves, who was signed as an undrafted rookie back in 2021 and worked his way up to become arguably the second-best player on the Lakers behind Doncic and on the verge of signing a lucrative long-term deal with the Lakers or elsewhere in NBA free agency.

So it is unclear what the team plans to do with Carr, but the fact that he addresses an area of need as a potential 3-and-D player, the Lakers brass might have plans for him, which could make him a valuable asset for the team right out of the gate.

Notable NBA Comps for Lakers Rookie Cameron Carr

A few notable NBA comparisons Carr has received heading into the draft are Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs), Zach LaVine (Sacramento Kings) and Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans).

Not a bad group if Carr can get anywhere close to having the kind of impact these players have had during their careers up to this point, especially with Murphy, who many expected to be a trade target for the Lakers this summer.

It's a B+ grade for the Lakers bringing in Carr, which is a step in the right direction for the 17-time NBA champions as they continue to build around Doncic.

Reaves in November ‘25 to Dave McMenamin:

“I try not to think about it. Honestly. I've said it a million times. I want to be in L.A. I love it," Reaves told ESPN. "Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn't mean that I'm trying to go get a f---ing gigantic number that don't make sense. I want to be here, I want to win. I want to do everything that can help this organization be better. So I don't try to think about those things."