Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Lakers Prioritizing 2027 Season Over 2025, 2026 Says NBA Insider

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The offseason has been relatively slow for the Los Angeles Lakers up to this point.

Aside from LeBron James opting into a player option, and a two-year deal given to young forward Jake LaRavia, things have been very quiet across the board from a pure transaction standpoint.

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The team is still without a center. With many flying off the board, it'll be fascinating to see what the Lakers actually end up doing to fill some major holes. Instead of doling out multi-year deals to several players, it appears as if the plan is to maintain financial flexibility for a future centered around Luka Doncic.

On LeBron James and the Lakers for the midnight @SportsCenter: pic.twitter.com/XPK4lSo065
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2025

Signing LaRavia seemingly became easier in the wake of Dorian Finney-Smith signing with the Houston Rockets. ESPN's Dave McMenamin elaborated further on the decision-making process behind letting Finney-Smith walk.

"Though Finney-Smith was a popular locker room figure and helped the Lakers to a 14-6 record in the 20 games he started in the regular season, L.A. exercised discipline in its negotiations to preserve cap space for 2027, when the team expects to have space to sign a max-salary free agent."

Losing Finney-Smith wasn't ideal. He's one of Doncic's favorite teammates. Finney-Smith is also a veteran 3-and-D player with tons of postseason experience. Watching him leave for a competitor in the West likely is a tough pill to swallow.

The situation with James becomes more fascinating. If the Lakers do indeed plan on fully building around Doncic (as they should), it could mean using this season as a set-up year to fully get their proverbial ducks in a row. In other words, if James is nearing the end of his fantastic career, does he really want to play for a non-title contending team?

"These new owners are antique experts and they're telling Laker fans 'This roster's a knockoff'"@colincowherd reacts to the changing landscape in LA pic.twitter.com/HlUpPrIxQH
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 1, 2025

James trade rumors aside, the class of 2027 from a free agent standpoint is projected to be chock-full of big names.

Assuming the Lakers do extend Doncic this summer/at some point within the next year, they could theoretically pair him with one of the following names projected to hit the open market: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Tyler Herro, Herb Jones (among other),

Suffice to say, maybe maximizing cap space and not locking themselves into a ton of multi-year deals could be the way to go for the Lakers moving forward in this new era.

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For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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