NBA cap space, spending power projections for the 2026 offseason https://t.co/dBo2Uk6f26— LakerTom (@LakerTom) February 5, 2026
NBA cap space, spending power projections for 2026 offseason
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February 5, 2026 1 Comment
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FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:
This offseason looks to be a big one in Los Angeles: Austin Reaves has a player-option decision, while LeBron James will be a free agent.
If Austin Reaves declines his $14.9 million player option as expected and LeBron James is wearing a different uniform next season, the Lakers are likely looking at $38 million to $47 million in cap space, depending on which of their other free agents, such as Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, stick around.
That is enough to make a major impact for the right player to fit next to Luka Dončić and Reaves long-term, but they would likely be an exceedingly top-heavy and eventually expensive team moving forward. That said, the right talent would make a team construction like that worth it since Reaves’ new contract likely takes them out of shifting that spending power to 2027 and beyond, though that is not 100 percent locked in yet.