Free Agent Stock Watch: Los Angeles Lakers
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players on the Lakers, who have 11 potential free agents this summer, the most in the NBA.
Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Harper, Grizzlies, Pelicans
The Rockets were playing without Kevin Durant, who’s dealing with a right knee contusion, in Saturday’s loss at the Lakers. “Several people” who watched the 37-year-old forward work out a couple hours before Saturday’s game said Durant wasn’t moving well and appeared to be in a good deal of pain, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Whether or not Durant is active for the second game of the series on Tuesday, the Rockets need a much better performance from Alperen Sengun, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. The All-Star center finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but shot just 6-of-19 from the field and made several “uncharacteristic mistakes” which negatively impacted the team’s offense, per Guillory.
“I missed a lot of shots, the shots I was making (in the past),” Sengun said. “It happens. It’s the first game — the first away game. It’s going to come back. I’m not upset about it. Of course, I’m upset about the loss, but I’m going to bounce back next game and come stronger. I’m going to have a different mentality.”
Second-year guard Reed Sheppard (17 points on 6-of-20 shooting) is another player who needs to step up for Houston in Game 2, Guillory adds.
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Spurs guard Dylan Harper jammed his left thumb in last Sunday’s regular season finale, but he’s confident the injury to his shooting hand won’t be an issue as the playoffs get underway, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Last year’s No. 2 overall pick isn’t on the injury report and was a full participant in all three of San Antonio’s practices over the last week. “Rested it for a little bit, got back, felt fine,” Harper said at shootaround. “Felt like myself, so it’s all good. … The wrap shouldn’t affect me. I think that it’s more of a mental game, a mind game and just not trying to feed into that.”
- Deciding whether to trade or keep Ja Morant, drafting the best players available, and adding future assets are among the priorities for the Grizzlies this offseason, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscriber link).
- While head of basketball operations Joe Dumars expressed optimism about the Pelicans‘ future at his exit interview, the team’s fans are frustrated with being a “bottom feeder” and Dumars needs to improve the roster and hire the right head coach ahead of 2026/27, says Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “For the most part, we have some pretty good contracts set up with those guys,” Dumars said. “Between the age (of our roster) and the contracts, it gives us flexibility to do what you need to do going forward. If there is something you need to do going forward, you’re in a pretty position to improve your team.”
Houston’s Kingston Flemings Declares For 2026 NBA Draft
Houston guard Kingston Flemings announced Sunday that he’s declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, per Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter video link).
Flemings comes in at No. 7 on ESPN’s best available players list, making him a probable mid-lottery pick. He earned numerous accolades for his stellar freshman campaign with the Cougars, whose season ended after losing to Illinois in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
The San Antonio native averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37 games (31.7 minutes per contest) for the Cougars in 2025/26. His shooting slash line was .476/.387/.845.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo praises Flemings’ “size, pace and upside” and calls him a “winning player” who’s also an “explosive play-maker.” There are some question marks about the 19-year-old’s outside shot (he only attempted 2.9 threes per game), but Flemings largely had excellent season on team that went 30-7, Woo writes.
This coming Friday, April 24, is the deadline for early entrants to declare for this year’s draft.
Raptors Notes: Inexperience, Adjustments, Ingram, CMB
The Raptors‘ “limitations and inexperience” were significant factors in Saturday’s Game 1 loss in Cleveland, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Toronto had the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA during the regular season largely because the team was so good at forcing turnovers. Those takeaways led to fast-break opportunities, with the Raptors leading the league in transition points.
However, the Raptors were unable to get enough stops on Saturday in a loss that was more lopsided than the final score (126-113) suggests. They also only had three transition points, Koreen writes.
“I feel like they were getting back,” Scottie Barnes said. “Just trying to wait for us, other than them top-locking (Brandon Ingram). But everyone else was just trying to stay compact, stopping us from running.”
“I think you could see it was a focus for them to get back in transition,” added RJ Barrett, one of the biggest beneficiaries when the Raptors are able to score on the move. “We ran against them a lot during the year. I think that was a focus. But also, we’ve got to get stops.”
While some players pointed to improved effort as a necessity heading into Game 2, Koreen believes the larger issue is the Cavs are the more experienced and talented team, which makes them more adept at making in-game adjustments.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Head coach Darko Rajakovic is mulling lineup changes ahead of Monday’s game, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “Every scenario is on the table,” said Rajakovic, who pointed to turnovers, defensive rebounding and overall defense as improvement areas for Game 2.
- Another adjustment Rajakovic was focused on was getting Brandon Ingram more involved offensively, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (Twitter links). The All-Star forward had 17 points on Saturday but attempted just one field goal in the second half. “We had a long day yesterday watching film, long meetings this morning, great conversations today,” Rajakovic said Sunday. “So, we’re going to have some solutions and try to adjust. But, definitely, we’ve gotta involve Brandon much more in our offense and we have a plan to do so.” For his part, Ingram said he needs to up his aggression and find ways to score on and off the ball, Lewenberg adds.
- In an interesting interview with Forbes contributor Mark Medina, lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles discusses his growth over his rookie season, prioritizing team success over individual accolades, and his nagging left thumb injury, which he admits will likely continue to bother him for the rest of 2025/26. “I know the team needs me,” Murray-Boyles said. “I know I’m a big part of what Darko needs with the energy that I bring, the defensive intensity and being a play-maker in our offense. I’m trying to get back into the flow of our game and how we play. I’m just trying to impact it.”
Nuggets/Wolves Notes: Jokic, Gobert, Murray, Edwards, Braun
The fact that Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets weren’t at their best on Saturday yet still managed to pull out a series-opening victory should scare both the Timberwolves and the rest of the NBA’s playoff field, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
While Jokic finished with 25 points (on 12-of-19 shooting), 13 rebounds and 11 assists (five turnovers) in 40 minutes, his performance was just OK by his lofty standards. Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) and 10 rebounds, deserves a lot of credit for slowing Jokic down, especially in the first half, according to Thompson.
“It’s all Rudy,” Jaden McDaniels said. “Rudy did a good job the whole game just guarding and taking the challenge. That’s what we need every time we play against Jokic, just Rudy coming to compete. That’s the best game we’ve had from Rudy this year.
“He keep doing that,” McDaniels continued, “we’re going to win.”
The problem what that statement is the Wolves dropped a winnable Game 1, Thompson observes, even with Gobert playing near his peak and Jokic being merely good. If Denver’s depth can continue to deliver, Jokic will have more energy left in the tank as the Nuggets look to make a deep playoff run.
Here’s more on the first-round series between the two Northwest Division rivals:
- Another troubling takeaway for Minnesota from Game 1? Denver shot just 1-of-17 from three point range in the second half, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), and 10-for-36 overall (27.8%). The Nuggets, who converted a league-high 39.6% from deep as a team, went just 1-7 during the regular season when they shot under 28% from deep, but still came away with a win on Saturday, notes Wolf Wise Statistics (via Twitter).
- Jamal Murray also wasn’t at his best in Game 1, shooting just 7-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-8 from long distance. However, the Canadian star still finished with a game-high 30 points as he went 16-for-16 at the foul line, notes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. While several members of the Timberwolves took digs at the overall free throw discrepancy (33 to 19), they said that wasn’t the main reason they lost the game, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “Just key mistakes. Just little things, we put them on the free-throw line. A bunch of little things at certain moments,” said Julius Randle, who scored 16 points and was 7-for-16 from the field. “We’d get it to five, and they’d go on a 4-0 run, 6-0 run, stuff like that. We just gotta limit our mistakes down the stretch and try not to put ourselves in that position.”
- Although Anthony Edwards‘ overall stats (22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in 38 minutes) were solid, he didn’t look completely healthy as he continues to battle a nagging right knee injury and the Wolves definitely need more from him to win the series, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Head coach Chris Finch said Edwards wasn’t physically compromised, and Edwards agreed. “I felt good,” Edwards said. “I mean, a little fatigued. I haven’t played in like a month, month-and-a-half, so a little fatigued. But that was expected. Other than that, I felt good.”
- Nuggets coach David Adelman said Christian Braun did a “great” job limiting Edwards to an off shooting night (he was 7-of-19 from the field), according to Jason Quick of The Athletic, who says Braun looks forward to the challenge of slowing down the best players in the league. “I’m gonna learn what Ant does throughout the series … and it’s a series for a reason,” Braun said. “But I love the challenge. I love being able to guard the best players every night. I take pride … and obviously, it’s my job. So I gotta do it.“
2026 NBA Awards Finalists To Be Announced Sunday Evening
The finalists for seven major regular season awards will be revealed on NBC starting at 6 pm ET on Sunday, the NBA announced (via Twitter).
During the pregame show of tonight’s first-round series between Orlando and Detroit, the league will reveal the finalists for the following awards:
- Clutch Player of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Most Improved Player
- Sixth Man of the Year
At halftime of the Magic-Pistons game, the finalists for three more awards will be unveiled:
- Most Valuable Player
- Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year
There are typically three finalists for each award. While we don’t know for sure who will win the individual honors, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite to win his second straight MVP award and seems to be the runaway frontrunner for Clutch Player of the Year. Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, a potential MVP finalist, could be the unanimous choice for Defensive Player of the Year.
The other awards are more up in the air, with former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in a neck-and-neck race for Rookie of the Year. Pistons center Jalen Duren and Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker are among the candidates for Most Improved Player, while Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) and J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons) are likely on the short list for Coach of the Year.
As for Sixth Man of the Year, Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. appears likely to be a finalist, with Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, Nuggets wing Tim Hardaway Jr., and Timberwolves big man Naz Reid among the other candidates. Reid won the award in 2024.
Hornets Notes: Lee, Physicality, LaMelo, Knueppel, Offseason
There were several positive developments in 2025/26 for the Hornets, who improved from 19 to 44 wins and had the best net rating in the NBA from the start of January through the end of the regular season.
Still, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, the team extended its playoff drought to a league-worst 10 straight years as a result of Friday’s drubbing at Orlando. Head coach Charles Lee said the Hornets need to learn from the loss and use it as motivation for the future.
“You’re one step away from being in the playoffs, so I don’t want to discredit that,” Lee said, “but this has got to hurt a little bit. And you’ve got to think about this offseason. When you’re in the weight room, when you’re on the court. What am I going to do to go that extra mile to get even better, because we had a ton of growth this year.
“I don’t want those guys to lose sight of the positives that they did do. I think that the resilience of the team, the competitiveness, the togetherness continue to grow. And we earned an opportunity to be right there. So, ton of good, but that was not our best effort.”
Lee referred to ’25/26 as a “stepping stone” for the Hornets, Boone adds.
“Let this fuel you,” Lee said. “But also don’t take for granted the fact that you guys earned a ton of respect from everyone throughout the league with how hard you played, how well you played. And I think that they also helped build another stepping stone for this organization.”
Here’s more from Charlotte:
- “Physicality” was a constant theme throughout the team’s exit interviews on Saturday after the Hornets were pushed around by the Magic, according to Boone. Both Lee and LaMelo Ball said getting stronger will be an area of emphasis for the former All-Star point guard. “Being able to handle physicality,” Lee said. “I think that’s just a global theme for our team. I have to figure out how to help them in that regard, but then we also have to figure out how do we have the physical toughness? Which is a lot of weight room. And then I think some of it is also just the mental execution of how to best combat it. What play do we need to run? How fast do we need to play? What are some of the basketball situations? So a lot of that will follow Melo, because he’s one of our primary ball-handlers. But then it gets spread around to the whole team, too.”
- Kon Knueppel played exceptionally well for most of ’25/26 after being selected fourth overall in last year’s draft, but he struggled down the stretch, especially in the team’s two play-in games, Boone observes. The Rookie of the Year candidate didn’t make any excuses for his late-season slump. “Yeah, no excuses,” said Knueppel, who appeared in 83 of Charlotte’s 84 games. “I just didn’t make a lot of shots. I shot really well throughout the year and you just got to the point in the last week of the season, the last two weeks of the season, just didn’t shoot it great. Sometimes that’s how it rolls. Obviously, there are some big games and you want to be able to shoot it well and you want to have your best stuff. I just didn’t have it. So, it’s frustrating. It is a long season. It’s my first time doing it, so some of that I think is a learning experience, just how to keep yourself fresh because these seasons are long. I haven’t had any off time since last college season, and so I’m looking forward to some rest. But it’ll be something I think about for sure, going forward, just one of the best ways to manage that come out ready to go next year.” Lee said he wants to see the former Duke wing become a more vocal leader, and Knueppel agreed that it was “definitely an area of improvement.”
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Hornets’ offseason, writing that re-signing Coby White and adding another prospect to their young core with their lottery pick will be top priorities. Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges will all be extension-eligible this summer, Marks notes.
Trail Blazers Notes: Splitter, Head Coach, Avdija, Scoot
Tiago Splitter has done an admirable job as the Trail Blazers‘ interim head coach, guiding the team to its first playoff appearance in five years while overseeing the development of several key young players, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (subscriber link).
However, there has been a lot of speculation about Splitter’s future with Portland, with multiple reports indicating new owner Tom Dundon doesn’t want to pay the going rate for even a first-time NBA head coach. Dundon himself suggested the team would look at other coaching options beyond Splitter.
Splitter, who purchased a home and moved his family from France when he was hired away as head coach of Paris Basketball to be an assistant last summer, pointed out that he has improved throughout the season and continues to get better. According to Freeman, Splitter chuckled and said he wasn’t sure how he’d approach his interview with Dundon about the position.
“I don’t know yet,” the 41-year-old said. “I’ve still got to think it through. I’ll probably just go with the facts, what happened, what I did and why I did it at that moment, why it worked or didn’t work. We’re going to go down with the facts.”
A former NBA big man, Splitter laughed when he was asked earlier in April if he wanted the job, replying, “Of course I do.” The Brazilian coach also had no issues with Dundon interviewing other candidates, Freeman writes.
“He’s probably going to interview a bunch of coaches and probably I’m going to be one of them,” Splitter said. “We’ll see what he wants from me and what he wants from the head coach, and we’ll see if I’m the best option or not. This is a normal thing to happen, right? When you buy a team for $4.25 billion, you probably want to make that decision. So it’s fair. I understand. I think he’s smart to wait and talk to other coaches. I would do the same. Right now, I’m not losing sleep because of it, honestly, I’m just trying to do the best I can and finish the season.
“But me and my family, we love it here. Honestly, before we came here, we were not sure if we would like it or not. But we love it. The outdoors — my kids are playing outside all day — and my wife says it feels like home. We love the city and we love the organization.”
Here’s more on the Trail Blazers:
- Splitter, who was previously an assistant in Brooklyn and Houston, took over for Chauncey Billups prior to the second game of the season after Billups was arrested on federal charges related to illegal gambling. Splitter recorded a 42-39 regular season record and has the support of the locker room, Freeman adds in the same story. Robert Williams, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija are among the players who voiced their public support for Splitter. “Results speak for themselves,” Avdija said. “He was put into a challenging situation when he took over the team and we’ve had to use different rotations and guys all season. But I feel like he adjusted amazing through all that. I feel like he got the best out of everybody. We love playing for him. I appreciate the job he’s done and I respect him as a coach and a human.”
- In addition to his own team, Splitter has drawn praise from rival clubs as well. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson is a fan of Splitter’s, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I think Tiago’s crushed it,” Johnson said. “I think when you see their team, and they’ve had a lot of in and out and the rosters and lineups, the temperament that he’s had and being able to lead that team and just what they’ve done recently (it’s impressive). The way they finished and the way they’re playing is a testament to him and the way those guys are playing and fighting for him and each other.”
- Although Scoot Henderson admits the first three years of his career haven’t gone the way he imaged after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, the former G League Ignite guard remains supremely confident in his abilities, according to Bill Oram of The Oregonian. Henderson still thinks he should have gone No. 1 that year, ahead of Victor Wembanyama, his opponent in the first round. “Hell yeah,” he said after a practice this week. “I do. I think I bring so much to any team I go on. I bring that winning mentality, my confidence in my game and my approach to the game.” As Oram writes, Henderson obviously hasn’t approached Wembanyama’s level as a player to this point in their careers, with Henderson essentially acting as undersized 3-and-D shooting guard when he re-entered the starting lineup a few years ago. Still, Henderson has a chance to show he’s part of the team’s long-term future with a strong series, Oram notes, and Henderson says he’ll do whatever he can to contribute. “The way I look at it,” Henderson said, “however I can get on the court, however long I can stay on the floor, whatever I got to do, I’m out there. I’m trying to do it, trying to get stops.”
Cavs Notes: Mitchell, Harden, Expectations, Game 1
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. His backcourt teammate James Harden has made the playoffs in all 17 of his NBA seasons but has only made one Finals appearance, losing to Miami in 2012. Mitchell says both players are determined to do everything they can to win their first title.
“We’re different, right? He’s 17 years in. I’m nine,” Mitchell told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Does a ring change the conversation around his name? Yeah. Should it change it? No. I think [Harden] should still be looked at as one of the top guards, the top players who ever played this game. But we live in a ring culture. So, does a ring change the narrative? Sure. Change the narrative to me? For sure. And same thing with Joel Embiid, right? So, there’s a level of desperation to try to change what our narratives have been.
“For me, it’s not being able to get past the second round. For [Harden] it’s changing the playoff luck. I wouldn’t call it anything else because a lot has to go right to get to that point. You can have great individual success and still lose. You could do everything you humanly possibly can and still lose, right? I think it’s just a matter of the situation. It’s a testament to [Harden] to continue to be here 17 years in a row. That’s equally as impressive. So, I don’t think that defines him, who he is or his greatness. It’s something that will give the both of us, quite frankly, something that we’ve been longing for: winning a championship.”
Spears’ story also contains a transcript of Mitchell’s latest video diary for Andscape. Mitchell grades his performance this season, discusses the team’s runway to make a deep playoff run, and more.
We have more notes from Cleveland:
- Harden believes this year’s Cavs team represents his best chance to win a title, per Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. “It’s the truth. That’s why I’m here,” Harden said about the narrative of doing everything but winning a championship. The former league MVP, who could be a free agent this summer, says he doesn’t waste time thinking about previous close calls in the playoffs. “Run up against a dynasty, injuries. It’s a part of the game, though. … I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back. It’s a part of it. It’s life,” Harden said. “I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our life that just didn’t go our way and feel bad about it, feel sad about it. I don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”
- How the Cavaliers fare in the playoffs will play a major role in their potential offseason moves, as Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. While Cleveland shed some payroll ahead of the trade deadline, the Cavs were still the only NBA team that operated over the second tax apron in 2025/26 and project to be over that threshold again in ’26/27, Katz notes. Harden is expected to decline his player option for next season in search of a new deal, a source tells Katz.
- Eric Koreen, Jason Lloyd, Zach Powell and Joe Vardon of The Athletic share their takeaways from Saturday’s Game 1 home victory over the Raptors, with Koreen noting that Toronto struggled to contain Mitchell and Harden, who combined for 54 points, 14 assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Kerr, Draymond, Offseason
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry reflected on the past and looked forward to the future after the Warriors were eliminated from postseason contention on Friday night, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
“Before you win the title,” Curry said, “… you’re building the foundation for what a championship team looks like — even though you have no idea what that really meant. Then you accomplish it, then everything else is based off of that. It’s been that way since 2015. I think we can reshape the narrative, knowing in the back of our mind that (a title) is an ultimate goal. But we have to get back to the basics of what makes a good basketball team, a competitive basketball team every single night. …
“Can we rethink how we do things with the foundation that we’ve established? We don’t have to keep saying ‘championship, championship, championship’ every day, even though we’ve experienced that. Can we build the foundation again with what this team needs to do, with the way that the game is played now, how fast it is, how young and athletic it is?”
Thompson’s story is largely centered on the uncertain future of Steve Kerr, who simultaneously sounded ready to continue coaching — under the right conditions — and ready to walk away from the job he’s held for 12 years. Curry admitted he wasn’t expecting Kerr to thank him and Draymond Green before the game ended.
“I was kind of fighting it, to be honest,” Curry said. “You’ve ended your season a lot of different ways, and you’ve had those moments on the sideline where you go up and down and thank everybody for what they poured into the year.
“But for it to start with that conversation and that moment, it was definitely weird. … I do appreciate the fact that he took that moment because, regardless, we’re human beings, and we have to be able to acknowledge each other in that moment.”
For what it’s worth, multiple sources in the team’s locker room tell Thompson they expect Kerr to be back next season, though Thompson readily acknowledges that decision will be Kerr’s to make.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- As for Curry’s own future, he made it clear he wants to play at least two more seasons and is open to signing an extension this offseason, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The 38-year-old guard is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $62.6MM in 2026/27. “For sure,” Curry said. “But none of those conversations have happened. So it will be a busy summer for the Warriors.” The 17-year veteran also expressed optimism that his nagging right knee injury won’t bother him when next season rolls around, Friedell writes.
- Draymond Green, who controls a $27.7MM player option for next season, sounded a little more uncertain about what could be in store for him going forward, Friedell adds in the same piece. The former Defensive Player of the Year reiterated he wants to stay with the only team he’s ever known — if Golden State wants him around. “I don’t know,” Green replied when asked about his future. “I’m not retiring from basketball, though. I still love to play and I think I’m still pretty decent. But this league we’re in, it’s an interesting one. And it’s one that you don’t really control everything, so for me, I hope I’ve done enough to still be here. Because at the end of the day, if I ain’t done enough I don’t want to be here.”
- Bobby Marks of ESPN previews the Warriors’ offseason, writing that the team projects to be under the luxury tax in ’26/27 for the first time since ’19/20. A potential rookie scale extension for third-year guard Brandin Podziemski will be among the many decisions Golden State’s front office will face this summer, Marks notes.