The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2025-26 season is going better than anyone expected when the team arrived at media day, and superstar LeBron James said he was dealing with sciatica, which could cause him to miss the start of the season.
The Lakers have seen Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and Jackson Hayes suffer injuries during the season and miss all kinds of time.
Despite the absences, head coach JJ Redick has kept the team steady, and the 11-4 Lakers now sit in third place in the Western Conference heading into Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz. James continues to rehabilitate and has already made his debut in the first season.
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With his new elevated status and dominant style of play, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka could make a trade, and ESPN analyst Bobby Marks has outlined the path to building a deal.
Marks wrote on ESPN, “How the Lakers prioritize cap flexibility next offseason could play a role in how active they are in trade talks. With more than $100 million in expiring contracts (James, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber), the Lakers could have about $50 million in cap space.”
“Because they have a strict limit on first-rounders, Los Angeles cannot recoup more than $1 million in extra salary. The Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith trades left Los Angeles with a tradable first-rounder (in either 2031 or 2032) and a second over the next seven years.
“They have five years of first-round picks (2026, 2028, 2030, 2031 and 2032).”
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Pelinka will face a difficult balancing act in the coming months as he must decide whether to push his chips into immediate contention and sign a bigger deal that sacrifices long-term assets for this season.
James is a free agent this summer, and the Lakers have several expiring contracts they can re-sign or move on.
Hachimura and James are the top priorities, although they could decide to leave for more money, freeing up even more salary cap space.
Los Angeles has decisions to make during the NBA trade window and next summer, but fortunately they have several options to consider.
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