We are just over a month away from the start of the 2026-27 season, and the Los Angeles Lakers still stand with clear roster needs. (Yes, with an s.)
There has been chatter about the Lakers potentially looking to address the frontcourt by signing a free agent, but there aren’t particularly flattering options on the open market for the Lakers to choose from.
“The Lakers already added Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams during an offseason focused heavily on defense and roster balance, but questions remain about their frontcourt depth and size at forward,” Ryan Anderson of the California Post wrote. “Dwight Powell has been mentioned as one realistic minimum-salary option because of his extensive history playing alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas. Drew Eubanks, Bismack Biyombo and Mason Plumlee also remain among the available veteran big men.”
L.A. could go after any of these seasoned big men, but that should be the last resort. The team is said to be exploring trades, with forwards Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt reportedly in the mix as two players the Lakers are aiming to move. Could L.A. land an impact player in a deal involving either Knecht or Vanderbilt?
Lakers Could Make Move for Starting Wing
Knecht and Vanderbilt don’t have much trade value around the NBA, as has been often reported this summer, but even if the Lakers were to move one of the two, team insider Jovan Buha believes L.A. should not execute a trade that brings back Kyle Kuzma.
“In terms of wings, this gets a bit more interesting,” Buha said. “There are guys like Cameron Johnson, Kyle Kuzma, De’Andre Hunter, Dillon Brooks. … Potentially Johnson, Kuzma or Hunter for the non taxpayer MLE. My strong preference would be Johnson among this group. And then honestly, I might even go Hunter over Kuzma. I think that’s close. I would honestly want to stay away from either one of those guys and view those guys more as bench wings than starting-level wings.”
Kumza and Hunter are two names Lakers insider Khobi Price mentioned as strong potential candidates to address L.A.’s wing need. Kumza, now of the Milwaukee Bucks, was once viewed as a future franchise cornerstone in L.A. before he was traded as a part of a deal that brought Russell Westbrook to town. Hunter, meanwhile, is someone the Lakers explored in the recent past, according to Price.
Both Kuzma and Hunter are on expiring contracts and are candidates to be moved by their respective team sometime between now and next season’s trade deadline.
L.A. Should Steer Clear of Kumza?
If the Lakers pushed hard enough to acquire Kuzma, it likely wouldn’t be an exhausting effort. This offseason, the Bucks ripped off a blockbuster trade that shipped out franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. As a result, veterans like Kuzma are immediately expendable.
As Bucks reporter Tre Allen noted, Kuzma doesn’t appear to be a long-term piece for a rebuilding Milwaukee team that has young players at Kuzma’s positions who are expected to rise up the depth chart.
“Now entering the final season of his contract, it’s going to be a big season for the 9-year veteran who’s on a Bucks team entering a rebuild,” Allen wrote. “His presence as a veteran will help this youthful team with a lot of new faces, but he might not be part of the long-term future. All summer long, the 31-year-old has been linked to trade talks due his expiring deal and tradable contract, and with young forwards like rookie Nate Ament or even Ousmane Dieng, Milwaukee has other options if they choose to move on from him.”
Kuzma is similar to the player he was when he left L.A. five years ago. He can provide instant offense but isn’t much of a dependable option on the other side of the ball.
At this point at least, it appears unlikely that the Lakers view Kuzma as the best option to pursue.
Lakers Urged to ‘Stay Away From’ $20M Top Trade Target After Rival’s Major Deal