Explore the latest developments concerning Can the Lakers.
Can the Lakers find a late first-round gem in this lauded NBA draft class?
Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where the offseason is back in full swing.
The Lakers have the 25th pick in the NBA draft, which begins Tuesday at Barclays Center, tipping off what is expected to be a consequential, potentially roster-flipping offseason. Next week, the free agency frenzy kicks up. Players including Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart must decide on their player options by June 29 at 8:59 p.m. PT. Free agents can start negotiations at 3 p.m. on June 30 and put pen to paper as soon as July 6 at 9:01 a.m.
Don’t expect the Lakers’ biggest question to be resolved by then.
NBA Mock Draft Roundup: A last-minute look around for the Lakers
Is it better for the Lakers to pick a wing, guard, or a big in this year’s draft?
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There is good news and bad news for the Lakers as they enter the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency. The good news is they have their superstar in place in Luka Dončić. The bad news is they need a little bit of everything else.
It’s been reported that Dončić wants a top-tier center on the roster. It’s also been reported that the front office wants the Lakers to get more athletic.
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Lakers’ center call at No. 25: Jayden Quaintance or Tarris Reed?
The Los Angeles Lakers will be on the clock at No. 25 on Tuesday night, and for the first time in two years they hold a first-round pick with a clear mandate attached to it.
Rival front offices expect that pick to be spent on a big man, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, who reported over the weekend that the Lakers have been connected to Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance and Connecticut’s Tarris Reed Jr.
The two names point in nearly opposite directions. One is an 18-year-old with lottery-level tools and a surgically repaired knee. The other is a 22-year-old coming off one of the most productive seasons of any center in the country. Choosing between them, if both are even on the board, comes down to how the Lakers weigh upside against certainty with the only selection they own in this draft.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Can the Lakers.
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