The chatter around the NBA is starting to ramp up as we get closer to the 2026-27 season, and the Los Angeles Lakers are, unsurprisingly, being discussed quite a lot.
Storylines have oozed out of the Lakers’ orbit this summer with the many moves the franchise has made. The party started when LeBron James, in a bit of a stunner, decided to leave L.A. as a free agent after spending eight seasons with the Lakers. From there, the team went on a scavenger hunt to find pieces to not only replace the likes of James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and others, but also pick up talent that could better suit Luka Doncic’s skillset.
Now there is one decision, albeit a pretty big one, that the Lakers have to make before late October rolls around. With 16 players on the roster and the team still having needs to address, many wonder what next step the front office will take.
Lakers to Trade Their Dependable Young Forward?
One plausible scenario for the Lakers is to strike a trade that sends out more players than it brings in. That could allow the Lakers to not only become roster-compliant but perhaps land an impact player at the power forward or backup center positions, two areas the team could really use some help.
In an article written by Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk, forward Jake LaRavia is listed as one of three players the Lakers could move on from in a trade. LaRavia has been loosely floated as a trade chip, but certainly not as much as the recently acquired Jaden Hardy and the oft-mentioned Dalton Knecht.
“Jake LaRavia is not typically a part of the usual suspects regarding this discussion,” Rovenchuk wrote. “However, there is reason to believe he has quietly supplanted Jarred Vanderbilt in the mix here. It has less to do with LaRavia and more to do with Vanderbilt. The long and short of it? If the Lakers could have moved Vando and his lackluster contract by now, they would have.”
Not only is LaRavia relatively young (in NBA terms), but he is on an expiring one-year deal, which makes him a much easier trade chip if the Lakers decided to go that route.
The Lakers signed LaRavia as a free agent last summer. He played 82 regular season games last season, making him the most dependable Laker on the roster, but was wildly inconsistent. At least for right now, L.A. doesn’t view LaRavia as a keeper. But that doesn’t mean the team is prepared to deal him immediately, as Rovenchuk noted.
LaRavia Could Grab Starting Role
Not only could the Lakers retain LaRavia this offseason, but they could also make him their starting power forward.
Lakers insider Khobi Price noted in a recent article that LaRavia is a candidate, along with newcomers Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ziaire Williams, for the starting power forward job.
“LaRavia may not bring the offensive versatility that Mamukelashvili does, and may not be as good of a perimeter defender as (Matisse) Thybulle, but he’s a better defender than Mamukelashvili and has more experience guarding bigger forwards than Thybulle.”
If LaRavia captures some consistency as a spot-up 3-point shooter, that alone could give him an edge on the Lakers’ depth chart.
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