The Los Angeles Lakers were busy in the 2026 NBA offseason. Though the front office missed out on a few top free-agent targets like Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson, there are still several names available who could come in on cheap deals and help the team contend for a title.
One of those names is Ochai Agbaji, a 26-year-old 3-and-D player who, after a few failed stints with the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets, remains a free agent and unsigned to a team for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
While there is a chance that, after the Lakers barely missed on their other top free agent targets, they head into next year with the roster they have now. However, if the front office believes another wing is needed to get the most out of this Luka Doncic-led team, Agbaji could be one player to come in on a minimum deal and be asked to hit shots and defend while coming off the bench.
Ochai Agbaji Could Be A Solid Fit In LA
Per Bleacher Report, Agbaji is one of the top free agents still without a team for next season. He was traded from the Raptors to the Nets this past year and is coming off his rookie contract as he looks for a new home in an attempt to keep his career alive.
“The Raptors sent him midway through the season to the Nets, where he played a slightly larger role, hitting an improved 34.9 percent from deep. He’s a viable defender with a 6’5″ frame. Only 26, Agbaji should catch on with a squad that needs guard depth, though he may need to start on an Exhibit 10 and spend some time in the G League until a spot opens up,” Eric Pincus wrote on the player.
Agbaji’s status as still a free agent this deep into the offseason isn’t the only time he’s been named as a player who could fill holes on the Lakers. Writing earlier in the summer for LakeShowLife.com, Maxwell Ogden tabbed the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft as a solid fit in Los Angeles.
“As the Los Angeles Lakers search for low-cost talent to bolster their rotation via free agency, Ochai Agbaji should be a priority signing as a player with a believable shot at redemption,” he wrote. “The Lakers must do what they can to at least get a one-year deal, if not a second-year club option, out of negotiations with Agbaji. Agbaji may not be a guaranteed success story, but he’s talented enough to emerge as the type of 3-and-D wing the Lakers desperately need.”
His career 33.9% three-point shooting and 26.6% last year would be the biggest reason for Los Angeles not to want his services, but if given a chance on a team with Doncic, Reaves, and others who could create open shots for the 26-year-old, there’s no reason why Agbaji couldn’t take a shooting leap if given a chance on the Lakers next year. He made 39.9% of his outside shots in 2024-25, so he has proven to be deadly from deep; he just didn’t show that this past season.
Last year, Agbaji averaged 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 62 games with Toronto and Brooklyn. That is down from his career averages of 7.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in his first four seasons in the league.
Lakers Top Free Agent Targets All Went Elsewhere
The only reason the Lakers would be interested in a player like Agbaji is that they missed out on several other names who could have brought a similar skill set to the table.
Highlighted on that list of Lakers free-agent targets that went elsewhere is Kuminga. The 24-year-old had a three-year deal on the table from Los Angeles, and while they were favorites to land his services, Kuminga instead chose the Minnesota Timberwolves as his next team, taking a smaller deal in the process.
Watson was another name in free agency linked to the Lakers for a long time. However, as a restricted free agent, he was moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade. He was named a top target way back at the trade deadline, and though his skill set on both ends of the ball was exactly what Los Angeles was looking for, he went out East.
Another 3-and-D free agent target recently linked to the Lakers is Bruce Brown, a former NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets and one of only 18 players to see action in all 82 games last year.
Despite many naming Los Angeles as the top landing spot for Brown, it was recently insider Brett Siegel who said that the New York Knicks have a much better chance of adding the veteran forward.
There have been a few other names in the mix, but all of that is to say that if the Lakers feel they are a wing short, Agbaji is still on the table. The team would have to figure out another player to move before rosters are set at the October 1 deadline, but he has the tools to come off the bench and play solid minutes with the second unit.
Agbaji might not be the best player that was and has been in reach for the Lakers this summer, but he’s likely one of the best 3-and-D wings available, still unsigned in September.
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