I like Rob Williams, Mitchel Robinson, Keon Ellis, Jordan Goodwin, and Collin Gillespie.

Lakers need to find 4 guys who can complement LeBron and win the first round series against the Rockets in next 3 games. They also need to remain tied with Houston so they have home court.

We’re tied with Rockets at 50-29 but have tiebreaker. Houston faces 76ers, Timberwolves, and Grizzlies. Lakers face Warriors, Suns, and Jazz.

Time to find first round rotation and win out regular season.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Disappointing news hit the Los Angeles Lakers when Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves went down at the same time in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dončić (hamstring) is now overseas trying to fast-track his recovery in a long-shot push to be ready for the playoffs, while Reaves (oblique) is expected to miss another 3-5 weeks, casting serious doubt on a deep Lakers postseason run.

With Dončić already extended in August and Reaves headed toward free agency on July 1, the question now is whether he stays in L.A. or explores a bigger opportunity elsewhere.

Here are five things we’re hearing about his upcoming offseason.

Reaves Can Extend Today, and Here’s Why He Won’t

Reaves has been open about his preference to spend his career with the Lakers in Los Angeles. So, why hasn’t he already extended?

The 27-year-old guard has remained extension eligible since last July. He’s limited to an extension at 140 percent of his expiring figure ($13.9 million) or $19.5 million ($87.4 million over four). While that’s a lucrative amount, he is gambling that he’ll get more this summer.

Given his stats (23.3 points and 5.5 assists) and production on the third-best team in the Western Conference heading into the Thunder debacle (the Lakers may dip to the fifth seed without him and Dončić), Reaves should be able to get more in free agency than $87.4 million.

Lakers Can Reward Reaves and Add Talent

Reaves has built a clear chemistry with Dončić. Once LeBron James recognized, accepted and embraced that he needed to be third in the Lakers’ offensive pecking order, the group began to flourish.

Just as Dončić needed Kyrie Irving in Dallas with the Mavericks, Reaves is a dynamic creator who can play off the ball as needed or provide ball-handling relief for teams that choose to swarm Dončić with defenders.

The larger question this offseason for the Lakers is James’ status as an unrestricted free agent.

Assuming the franchise decides not to retain him at his current salary of $52.6 million and allocates those resources instead to younger players who can complement Dončić and Reaves long term, then Los Angeles has enough spending power to retain Reaves and spend elsewhere.

Unsigned, Reaves has a free-agent cap hold of $26.5 million (could be $20.9 million, if the NBA’s estimated average player salary dips lower than expected). Using the larger figure and depending on player options for Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, the Lakers could have nearly $53 million in available cap space.

That could grow if the team makes additional moves via trade (Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt, its 2026 first-round pick, etc.).

That cap room could be used to flesh out the roster via free agency, or in trade to acquire players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Trey Murphy III—provided the Lakers have enough to entice the Milwaukee Bucks or New Orleans Pelicans to deal.

Once the Lakers’ cap room is spent, the team would re-sign Reaves to a number that exceeds his cap hold.

The Market Looks Favorable to Lakers

The Lakers’ negotiating leverage with Reaves will depend on the market, which projects to have few potential suitors. His leverage depends on finding just one team willing to drive up his price.

Based on the NBA’s $165 million cap projection for 2026-27, the Chicago Bulls (about $63 million) and Brooklyn Nets ($44.8 million) should have the most available spending power to chase free agents this summer. Do they choose to go after Reaves? That’s unclear at this early stage.

The Bulls recently let go of their top basketball executive, Artūras Karnišovas. Until a replacement is in place, it’s difficult to gauge direction, though the recent approach was to build around a core of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. Reaves could fit, though that may also depend on the results of the draft lottery on May 10.

Meanwhile, the Nets are among the worst teams in the league this season. A full rebuild, however, will be put on hold in 2026-27, given the Houston Rockets have first-round swap rights with Brooklyn (part of the James Harden trade). Reaves could fit alongside players such as Michael Porter Jr., Nicolas Claxton and others.

It’s also worth monitoring the LA Clippers, whose spending flexibility could change depending on the outcome of the NBA’s ongoing review of the Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration matter.

The league is examining whether any salary-cap rules were violated, and a finding against the team could lead to penalties that might alter Leonard’s contract status and the Clippers’ future cap sheet, which in turn could affect how aggressively they pursue outside talent in Reaves’ range.

Also, the Atlanta Hawks can opt out of the final year of Jonathan Kuminga’s contract and make additional moves to reach Reaves’ asking price.

Other teams can make trades as well to open flexibility, but realistically the Lakers’ competition is likely limited to Chicago and Brooklyn.

Realistic Ceiling/Floor Projection for a Lakers Contract

Without significant challenges from the Chicago Bulls or Brooklyn Nets or a long shot, the Lakers would have some negotiating leverage to reward Reaves enough but not to the maximum extent allowed.

As a veteran with five years of experience, he will be eligible to re-sign with the Lakers (once he opts out of his $14.9 million for 2026-27, a near lock) at a max salary of $41.3 million ($239.3 million over five years). That doesn’t mean the team is obligated to go that high.

The floor would probably be Jalen Johnson’s $30 million annual salary with the Atlanta Hawks. The most competing teams can offer Reaves is four years, $177.4 million.

In general, a franchise wants to pay its best players enough to keep them happy, but also needs to manage luxury taxes, aprons, and roster balance. Reaves’ representation should and likely will ask for max, making the negotiating range $30 million-$41.3 million. A compromise will be based on the starting salary (perhaps $35 million), number of years (presumably 3-5), raises, and other details such as options, trade bonuses, payment advances, etc.

For reference, a deal starting at $35 million with max raises and length is $203 million over five years. That potential should illustrate clearly why Reaves won’t extend before testing that market. A contract starting at $30 million can still hit $174 million over five years, nearly on par with what other teams can pay over four years.

Provided the Lakers and Reaves are motivated to get a deal done, they should be able to find common ground below a full max salary.

A Realistic Trade Partner?

Competing executives aren’t convinced the Lakers can win with a core duo of Dončić and Reaves. Of course, what other teams think is irrelevant to L.A., unless the front office agrees.

Seeing how well the Lakers competed over the last month before the recent spate of injuries could motivate a long-term commitment. If not, L.A. would presumably turn to a sign-and-trade to get value for a developing Reaves instead of losing him for nothing.

Rumors are what they are in the NBA—sometimes reliable, often not. Still, different teams believe the Utah Jazz have interest in Reaves.

In the absence of offers from cap-room teams like the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets—and if the Lakers aren’t willing to compensate handsomely—Reaves would need to choose a destination based on sign-and-trade suitors.

Along with what should be a high pick in the draft, the Jazz would have a high-potential roster with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, and Reaves. That assumes the Lakers value a center like Walker Kessler, who also went out by sign-and-trade despite an early-season-ending shoulder injury.

The mechanics of such a deal would be complicated, though not impossible. Depending on Kessler’s starting salary, the Lakers could still have the means to chase players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Trey Murphy III (perhaps with additional draft compensation coming with Kessler for Reaves).

While it’s a theory based on rumor, Reaves’ sign-and-trade potential shouldn’t be discounted entirely—though it’s more likely than not that the Lakers choose to keep him outright.

Also, Reaves has significant say over where he’ll play next, and that may not be with the Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans or Jazz, if those are the franchises the Lakers prefer to deal with (also theoretical).

70% chance he stays put.

The biggest reason for the Lakers to keep #4 seed and home court, beat the Rockets in the first round, and see Luka and Austin return for the second round would be to see how the Doncic and Reaves backcourt does in the playoffs as well as how Austin handles the physical defense he will get in playoffs. Seeing how Reaves does in second year of playoffs is critical info for LA.

¡¡¡¡QUE BUENA PINTA TIENE ESTE CHICO!!!!Adou Thiero vs OKC: 21MIN-10PTS-4REB-2AST-1STL-2/4FG-1/2 3PTpic.twitter.com/A1ZxgP5bWE— Pichu Ruas (@PichuRuas) April 8, 2026

ADOU THIERO MAKES 1ST CAREER THREE 😭🔥HE HAS 5 POINTS IN 6 MINS VS OKC pic.twitter.com/1dPuXpjfFe— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 8, 2026

If he can. Dudes been hurt all season…

Need to win against the Warriors. Shoulda won against Dallas but JJ didn’t play Vando on Cooper…then they got into it lol

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

If there was any hint that JJ Redick’s patience was running low, the events in the Lakers-OKC rematch and the subsequent presser made it clear. Once again, the Purple and Gold suffered a blowout loss, extending their season record against the reigning NBA champs to 0-4. They were shorthanded, of course, with next to no star power tonight. But Redick’s not taking or making any excuses. In a game that got confrontational between the head coach and some of his own players, his review of the lineup tonight was scathing, to say the least.

Without Luka Doncic (hamstring), Austin Reaves (oblique), LeBron James (left foot), and Marcus Smart (ankle), Redick placed heavy expectations on the other players. His frustration seemingly boiled over, specifically targeting the lack of an all-in mentality from key starters Rui Hachimura, DeAndre Ayton, and Jarred Vanderbilt. The tension peaked early when the head coach called a premature timeout to bench Hachimura after he had a lapse in judgment.

This happened after Redick yelled, “Rui, get the f**k over there,” as the Lakers attacked in the first quarter. They were 2-8 down. “I just called the early timeout because Rui didn’t do his job, and so I took him out of the game,” Redick told reporters post-game. Jarred Vanderbilt also ended up confronting the coach on the sidelines after he was subbed out for missing three free throws. He never returned to the court, but Redick unbelievably said it was a “normal interaction” after the game. Reaves wouldn’t have needed to place himself as a barrier between the boss and Vanderbilt if this were a normal chat…

Deandre Ayton, the only regular starter playing, who is catching flak from the Lakers fanbase, was not spared either. “He’s had trouble catching the ball,” Redick stated bluntly. “So, we’ve run a bunch of plays for him… I don’t know if that’s the passing or if it’s him trying to get position. He just hasn’t been able to catch the ball.”

Ayton has had trouble re-integrating into the offensive flow after an injury. Which means there are too many highlight reels of him failing to catch LeBron James’ alley-oops lately. Emotions are running high as the Lakers go through a brutal week. Two blowout losses to OKC, back-to-back losses, and the threat of slipping from the No. 3 seed while fighting for home-court advantage. The absence of key starters left a massive void in playmaking that Tuesday’s lineup failed to fill.

Hachimura, who had been a reliable scoring threat, finished with just 15 points in 26 minutes of action. Ayton’s three points and three rebounds are getting him dragged by LakeShow online. Redick also slammed the lack of defense and execution. But this speaks more to the coach’s fury with the players and his expectations in the final stretch of the regular season, which the players aren’t meeting.

JJ Redick isn’t afraid to do his job and shake up the Lakers’ lineup

A few months ago, Deandre Ayton was frustrated, declaring, “Bigs can’t feed themselves.” While fans, analysts, and retired NBA bigs told him to get to his position and catch the ball, JJ Redick vaguely defended him. Clearly, he can’t defend any of his players anymore. Despite attempts to simplify the playbook for the big man, Redick highlighted a fundamental execution breakdown, a point reinforced by fans sharing clips online. It was clear that tensions were flaring in the Lakers’ locker room. However, the coach has made his ground-level expectations quite clear.

“It’s my job to make sure… we’ve got to find nine guys that are all-in on us fighting and willing to go out on the, whatever metaphor you want to use. I don’t want to use a war metaphor in this time, but whatever you’ve got to do to go out and fight and be all in on the team, we’ll find those nine guys,” Redick said. He didn’t have his ‘nine’ guys tonight because he did the equivalent of a teacher publicly announcing grades to the whole school.

The blowout loss to the Thunder leaves the Lakers searching for answers with only three games remaining in the regular season. Redick made it clear that past performance will no longer dictate minutes as the playoffs approach. The good news, though, is that Redick will have some of his stars returning. LeBron James should be back for at least one of the upcoming games on Thursday and Friday. The coach also hinted last night that Marcus Smart is trending towards playing soon.

Redick started two-way big Drew Timme against the Thunder, but it’s important to remember that he is ineligible for postseason play. Dalton Knecht finally got some game time. Adou Thiero got 21 minutes, the most he has seen in Purple and Gold, and scored 10 points. Bronny James played 23 minutes off the bench, and with Redick needing another guard, expect that to continue. They will bank on Luke Kennard not getting injured and starting too.

The coach admitted that his team is “undermanned,” which it definitely is, but they are at a stage where Luka Doncic’s return to the USA after his treatment is still expected by the end of the first round. Anything before that would be a bonus. Redick, for sure, won’t stop trying his combinations, but it’s now on the rotation players to help the Lakers survive long enough in the postseason to get their stars back.

Jarred Vanderbilt may have just ruined his chance with the Lakers in shocking fashion https://t.co/zih8FKKkO0— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 8, 2026

JJ Redick eligió la violencia en la conferencia posterior a la paliza que les puso el Thunder y quemó a algunos jugadores…"No estaba haciendo su trabajo, así que lo saqué"- Redick sobre Hachimura"Fue un cruce de cosas que hizo mal"- Redick sobre Vanderbilt"No puede… pic.twitter.com/yDgQUtutv5— Master Clutch (@MasterClutch_) April 8, 2026

Gonna”fiery demeanor” his way off the team, JJ needs to build something during this time. You just benched the dude for Luke Kennard, who has been great, maybe give him a slight amount of leeway?

Final: Thunder 123, Lakers 87LA falls to 50-29. They’ve lost 3 straight games. They’re now a full game behind No. 3 Denver (51-28), and will be tied with HOU tonight if HOU beats PHX (LA has tiebreaker). Some good reps and minutes for the young guys.Up next: at GSW on Thurs.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 8, 2026

Final: Thunder 123, Lakers 87LA falls to 50-29. They’ve lost 3 straight games. They’re now a full game behind No. 3 Denver (51-28), and will be tied with HOU tonight if HOU beats PHX (LA has tiebreaker). Some good reps and minutes for the young guys.Up next: at GSW on Thurs.— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 8, 2026

Player Grades: Lakers vs. Thunder https://t.co/Jz8HYm7uBs— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 8, 2026

Smart move. Save him for second round series against OKC.

The season is over for me. Can’t believe it.

DJ, I wish I had something better to say. I mean it is unbelievable how this team rounded out to top form until the very end of the season just to see it plunge into the ocean with all these season ending injuries. I still can’t wrap my head around this.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Now Doncic and Austin Reaves are both sidelined at least for the rest of the regular season and likely through the first round of the playoffs. The injury updates that came on consecutive days following Thursday’s 43-point loss to Oklahoma City felt like a devastating series of gut punches. Coach JJ Redick often talks about “not letting go of the rope.” The Lakers will have to white-knuckle their way through the next few weeks without their two stars.

Why is Luka Doncic in Europe?

Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after sustaining a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.
Lakers star Luka Doncic reacts after sustaining a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. (Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
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He knows magic. Now Luka Doncic needs medicine to help pull off his next stunning trick.

With the playoffs approaching, Doncic traveled to Europe to seek treatment for his strained left hamstring, his agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed to The Times’ Broderick Turner. The hope is that with specialized treatments, Doncic can speed up what is typically a four- to six-week recovery process and get back in time for at least part of the Lakers postseason, which begins April 18.

Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell injections are the most common treatments for injuries of this nature, said Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics.

The biologic injections can speed up healing of injured tissue. PRP injections use the natural growth and anti-inflammatory factors in platelets to promote healing while stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow or adipose tissue similarly help with the regeneration and turnover of the healing tissue into normal muscle tendon tissue, Fibel said.

Top U.S. athletes have gone to Europe to seek the treatments for decades. Kobe Bryant, former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are among those who’ve crossed the pond for solutions to chronic injuries. But similar treatments are also available in the United States.

In the U.S., only PRP and stem cell injections coming from a patient’s own body are allowed and the cells are not allowed to be manipulated, Fibel said. With looser regulations in Europe, doctors can attempt to increase the concentration of anti-inflammatory factors in a single PRP sample or culture stem cells over days to increase the number of them with hopes of speeding up healing even more.

Whether there is a significant increase in efficacy between the cutting-edge European treatments compared to the U.S. methods is unclear, Fibel said, but an athlete’s decision to pursue treatment often comes down to individual comfort level or prior experiences.

The ubiquity of degenerative conditions or recurring soft tissue injuries in sports have turned European countries, including Germany and Switzerland, into hot spots for top athletes searching for help.

“These are injuries that are not always that easy to completely prevent, and it’s also not the easiest to always prevent reaggravation,” Fibel said. “And so I think [the new treatments] also comes from a frustration of doing a lot of the treatments and modalities that were used in prior injuries and still having an issue afterwards [so] that they’re searching for something new and different.”

Doncic knows the routine when it comes to hamstring injuries. As a player who thrives on his shifty change of pace, Doncic’s quick start and stop motions put extra load on his hamstrings and put him at risk of reinjury. Another left hamstring strain sidelined him for four games earlier this season.

Now with a Grade 2 injury, Doncic’s timeline for recovery would typically be four to six weeks. A Grade 2 injury shows “true disruption” that involves about 50% of the tissue, Fibel said. The most severe Grade 3 is used to describe a more significant, if not complete, tear of the muscle or tendon. The Lakers have suffered several Grade 2 injuries this season, including Austin Reaves’ latest left oblique strain.

The timing of the injuries couldn’t be worse for the Lakers. Not only do the playoffs begin in less than two weeks, but the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season before the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. They appeared to be legitimate contenders in the playoffs. Now they must wait to see if Doncic’s super serum turns him into a superhero capable of saving their postseason.

“[Doncic is] going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point,” Redick said, “and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

With Luka Dončić set to appeal for his eligibility, the NBA is going to delay voting on season awards.

If it wasn’t already a mess, the NBA’s award voting process is about to face another challenge.

As it stands, Luka Dončić is not eligible for postseason awards. However, he intends to appeal that by using the Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge, citing him having to travel Europe for the birth of his child earlier this season.

In his latest piece on Substack, longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein laid out where the complications are going to lie moving forward. Typically, the NBA sends out award voting electronically on midnight Sunday night/Monday morning after the season ends and gives voters roughly 36 hours before the submission deadline.

At the same time, Luka can not submit his appeal until the season ends. So, both of these can’t happen simultaneously. Voters need to know if Luka is eligible before submitting ballots. As a result, according to Stein, the league will delay voting on awards until after a resolution in Luka’s case.

League rules stipulate that such a challenge can only be filed on the final day of the regular season (April 12 in this case). The league will have to rule on the challenge before releasing it’s electronic ballots to voters, meaning that the voting process might be delayed slightly from its planned April 13-14 window.

The rules in the CBA state that the hearing with an independent expert must take place within two days, the hearing can not last longer than one day and a resolution must come one day later. In short, this will all move pretty fast once the appeal is submitted.

An answer will be had during the week between the regular season and playoffs as to whether Luka will be eligible for awards, so this process won’t drag out into the postseason or beyond.

Again, all of this is but a small silver lining in what likely will end up as a lost season, but at least there remains a realistic chance that Luka could still get the rightful credit for his brilliant performance this year.