With the start of September on the horizon, the clock is ticking for teams to finish their offseason order of operations. The Los Angeles Lakers are among them.
For weeks — nearly two months actually — the Lakers waited on Jonathan Kuminga. A former lottery pick, Kuminga was supposed to help beef up the Lakers’ frontcourt. Now that the 23-year-old forward is off to join the Minnesota Timberwolves, L.A. is left searching for other ways to address its frontcourt. But options are limited, as team reporter Khobi Price recently pointed out.
“The Lakers’ failed pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga, who is signing a two-year deal with the Timberwolves, has left them with a hole in the frontcourt,” Price wrote. “And with their payroll $8.1 million from the NBA’s $209 million first-apron threshold, they’re hard-capped for the 2026-27 season. With their roster already having 16 players signed to guaranteed contracts, the Lakers’ options for other roster additions are limited. But they still have clear needs with a month before training camp kicks off.”
One Way the Lakers Could Grab a Big Man is Through a Bronny James Trade
Earlier in the offseason, Price reported that the Lakers could look to add a big man to backup Walker Kessler. Two names who have been linked to the Lakers are Milwaukee’s Jericho Sims and Chicago’s Jalen Smith, two players who are backups on their respective teams. But someone else L.A. should look into is young Denver Nuggets big man Daron Holmes II.
Here’s a proposed framework that sends Bagley to L.A while shipping James to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lakers receive: Daron Holmes II and second round picks in 2030 (via WAS) and 2031 (swap rights to ATL)
Sixers receive: Bronny James
Nuggets receive: Jabari Walker and a 2032 second round pick (via WAS)
Rockets receive: Dalton Knecht
In this hypothetical trade, the Lakers grab a former first round pick in Holmes, along with a pair of picks, to bring some size and depth to the frontcourt. Holmes, 24, is far from what one would label as a potential future star, but he has only played one season and will have plenty of opportunities to grow.
The Sixers reunite the Jameses and the Rockets pick up a young sharpshooter in Knecht, while the Nuggets shed some payroll and pick up a young player and a draft pick.
L.A. Will Need to Get Creative in a Trade
If the Lakers make a trade for a big man, it’ll likely look like the proposed deal mentioned above because, as Price noted, the team is working with very few tradable assets.
“The Lakers’ tradable draft picks are limited: They own their own 2033 second-round draft pick; they possess a pair of second-round picks from the Wizards in 2031 and 2032 after swapping Deandre Ayton for Jaden Hardy; and the lone first-round pick they’re able to outright swap in a trade is in 2032. Outside of that, their other trade assets are mostly players who could be on expiring contracts if their team options for 2027-28 are declined (such as Hardy and Dalton Knecht),” Price wrote.
As for Holmes, the Lakers would be taking a chance on a 24-year-old who played just 25 games last season, making four starts, and averaged a very modest 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
Holmes did, however, show flashes of being a strong outside shooter, shooting 20-for-45 (44 percent) from beyond the arc.
Lakers Proposed to Trade Bronny James to 76ers for 44% 3-PT Shooting Big Man