The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly uninterested in adding one of the best free agent guards available at the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks at the same time the Lakers cut ties with Dalton Knecht. Despite potentially being interested in a player with the same type of skill set as Porter, recent reports indicate Los Angeles won’t target the 26-year-old guard with a checkered history.
While the Lakers could use another playmaker like Porter, the team is expected to go after power forwards and centers this season. That could change if injuries to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Collin Sexton, and Quentin Grimes hit the team later in the season, but for the time being, Porter is reportedly off the Lakers’ radar.
Lakers Unlikely To Sign Free Agent Kevin Porter Jr.
According to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha, the team likely won’t target free agent Porter, even though he’s now available after being waived by the Bucks.
“I would be surprised by a Kevin Porter Jr. signing,” Buha said. “There is the complicated nature of his background and some of what has transpired, which I think, for any team signing him, you’re going to have to explain some things from a PR perspective. And the Lakers have tried to refrain from adding those types of players for the most part recently.”
Porter, the former 30th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was arrested in 2023 for an alleged assault on his girlfriend, and while he’s played on the Los Angeles Clippers and Bucks in the time since, having some pretty solid seasons, it looks like he’ll remain a free agent for the time being, or at least not targeted by the Lakers.
Last season in Milwaukee, Porter had the best year of his career. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a team-high 7.4 assists on 46.5% shooting in 35 games.
Coming off the bench, he could be a solid option for the Lakers as a backup scorer and offensive sparkplug, but as Buha said, it doesn’t appear as though the front office has any plans of adding the ‘do-it-all’ guard.
Los Angeles Could Still Use Another Playmaking Guard
Even with Porter seemingly off the table for the Lakers, as well as the reports on the team targeting frontcourt additions, landing another point guard might become a necessity for the franchise later on this season.
Sexton is still dealing with an injury, while Doncic and Reaves didn’t have the greatest health last season. Bronny James and Jaden Hardy also aren’t expected to play big minutes or get the necessary trust from head coach JJ Redick to be put in important positions, so with that, the Lakers might start looking for a more experienced guard they can trust with the ball in their hands.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Tyler Watts feels as though the team’s need for another playmaker is evident.
“A massive part of the point guard’s job is organizing the offense. Redick even admitted that none of these players (James, Hardy, and Chris Manon) are getting the job done. It is easy to say the problem is fixed when Sexton returns, but that isn’t how an NBA regular season works. Players will miss games, and contenders need reserve options to fill the cracks,” he wrote.
“The Los Angeles Lakers clearly need another creator. They can’t expect Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to do it all. Collin Sexton is necessary, but those three players will miss time. The Lakers need another capable option to turn to. It isn’t on the roster, and JJ Redick knows it. They need to make a move to acquire one before February’s trade deadline.”
For now, the Lakers’ 15-man roster is set, but that by no means guarantees the front office won’t make a trade or free agent signing to bolster the point guard position or any of the other holes in the lineup.
Regardless, it doesn’t look like Porter will be joining the Lakers anytime soon after he was waived by the Bucks.
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