Los Angeles Lakers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Lakers Adding Arthur Kaluma, Augustas Marciulionis Via E10 Deals

June 26th, 2025 at 11:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers are set to audition several new players via Exhibit 10 training camp deals. After agreeing to an E10 contract with former five-year North Carolina guard RJ Davis, Los Angeles is also bringing in two additional undrafted free agents on similar agreements.

Former Texas forward Arthur Kaluma and ex-Saint Mary’s guard Augustas Marciulionis have agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with the Lakers, sources tell Dan Woike of The Athletic and Jonathan Givony of ESPN, respectively (Twitter links).

Kaluma, a 6’7″ wing, registered averages of 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG during his final NCAA season, with a shooting line of .462/.359/.784. Prior to his Longhorns stint, Kaluma also suited up for Creighton and Texas State.

A two-time WCC Player of the Year, the 6’4″ Marciulionis averaged 14.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.1 APG in 35 outings last season. He posted shooting splits of .446/.347/.793. Marciulionis missed pre-draft workouts while recuperating from a foot injury, but is expected to be healthy next month, Givony notes.

Exhibit 10 agreements are non-guaranteed, but can be converted into two-way deals if players impress their clubs. Should Kaluma or Marciulionis be waived and spend up to 60 days on the Lakers’ G League affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers, they could earn bonuses worth up to $85K.

RJ Davis Agrees To Exhibit 10 Deal With Lakers

June 26th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

RJ Davis, a five-year player and four-year starter for North Carolina, has agreed to a contract with the Lakers, Billy Reinhardt tweets. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Adam Zagoria (Twitter link).

The six-foot guard appeared in 175 NCAA games, including 155 starts. In his final year with the Tar Heels, he averaged 17.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He averaged 21.2 PPG in 2023/24.

For his college career, Davis made 41.8 percent of his field goal attempts, including 36.7 percent of his three-point tries.

Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed but include bonuses of up to $85K if the player is waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate. In Davis’ case, that G League team would be the South Bay Lakers. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, so Davis will try to make his case for a promotion during Summer League and training camp.

Lakers To Sign Eric Dixon To Two-Way Deal

June 26th, 2025 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are signing former Villanova forward Eric Dixon to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Dixon was the top player on ESPN’s big board who went undrafted tonight, coming in at No. 44 overall. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic was a little lower on the fifth-year senior, ranking him No. 67 on his on board.

The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for the Wildcats (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-America honors.

Dixon, 24, weighs about 260 lbs. and will likely have to play some center at the NBA level due to his lack of foot speed. While he was a prolific outside shooter and scorer in college, talent evaluators view his defense as his biggest question mark as he turns pro.

The Lakers are carrying over center Trey Jemison on a two-way deal, but Christian Koloko is a free agent and the team finished the season with a two-way opening, so no one will have to be cut to make room for Dixon when he’s eligible to sign in July.

Lakers To Acquire No. 36 Pick Adou Thiero

June 26th, 2025 at 7:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers have agreed to acquire the No. 36 overall pick in the draft from Minnesota and used it to select Arkansas forward Adou Thiero, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 36th pick has changed hands in multiple deals that aren’t yet official, from the Nets to the Suns to the Timberwolves and now to the Lakers. Minnesota is moving down to No. 45 as part of this deal and acquiring cash from the Lakers as well, according to Charania (Twitter link).

Los Angeles has been rocketing up the second round since the start of the day. The Lakers first traded the No. 55 selection and cash considerations to the Bulls in exchange for the No. 45 pick, which now is being rerouted to the Timberwolves.

After the Lakers sent out cash to Chicago in that initial exchange, L.A. became hard-capped at the NBA’s second luxury tax apron.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned during the network’s second round broadcast that Los Angeles had serious interest in moving up to select Thiero specifically. The Lakers did not have their own first-round pick this season.

The 6’6″ swingman enjoyed a breakout junior year at Arkansas. He had transferred there for the 2024/25 season, following a modest role at Kentucky from 2022-24. In his 27 contests with the Razorbacks last season, Thiero averaged 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG.

Lakers’ Austin Reaves Reportedly Declines Extension Offer

June 26th, 2025 at 1:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers offered Austin Reaves a four-year, $89MM contract extension this week, but he declined in the hope of landing a bigger payday next summer, league sources tell Dan Woike of The Athletic.

As Woike details, $89MM over four years is the maximum the Lakers were allowed to offer Reaves, who is entering the third season of a four-year, $54MM contract. The 27-year-old is expected to turn down his $14.9MM player option for 2026/27 in order to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

While it would be easy to view Reaves’ decision as sign of disconnect between the two sides, that isn’t the case, according to Woike, who points out that the outcome was anticipated given the restrictions on what Los Angeles was permitted to offer. The Lakers have never seriously entertained the idea of trading Reaves and continue to place a high value on his contributions, Woike writes.

Reaves has vastly outplayed his current deal. In his fourth NBA season in 2024/25, the Arkansas native averaged career highs in points (20.2) assists (5.8), rebounds (4.5) and steals (1.1) per game in 73 appearances (34.9 MPG), with a shooting slash line of .460/.377/.877. He should easily command a new contract in 2026 that far surpasses the offer he recently declined.

Reaves will have Bird rights if he opts out in ’26, giving the Lakers the ability to offer him anything up to his maximum salary. However, he will be an unrestricted free agent if he takes that route, which could give the Lakers a little bit of pause, since it might open the door to a rival suitor swooping in with an enormous offer.

Still, as Woike observes, any team that is interested in trading for Reaves would be in the exact same position as the Lakers are now. And there have been no indications that either side is unhappy with the relationship — quite the opposite. Both Reaves and the Lakers are interested in working on a new deal next summer, Woike tweets.

“I want to be in L.A. I want to play my whole career in L.A. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf,” Reaves told K8 News earlier this month. “And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball.”

Los Angeles continues to be “aggressive” in its search for center help, but obviously nothing has materialized yet, Woike adds.

Lakers Trade 55th Pick, Cash To Bulls For 45th Pick

June 26th, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Rory Maher

June 30: The trade is now official, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, who tweets that the Bulls received $2.5MM in cash in the deal, along with the draft rights to No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich, in exchange for the rights to No. 45 pick Rocco Zikarsky.

The Lakers subsequently traded up again – using the No. 45 pick and cash – to No. 36, but that trade won’t become official until after the July moratorium.

June 26: The Lakers are trading the 55th pick of the 2025 draft and cash to the Bulls for tonight’s 45th selection, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, the Lakers will now be hard-capped at the second tax apron for the 2025/26 season because they are sending out cash in the deal.

Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said during a Wednesday night press conference that Chicago was open to moving the No. 45 pick, either to move out of the second round or to select a draft-and-stash prospect. In this case the Bulls moved back 10 spots and added cash in the process.

Los Angeles is clearly targeting a player it likes and thinks will be available at No. 45 but may not have been at No. 55. In the past, sending out cash to move up in the draft wasn’t a big deal, but changes in the new CBA mean the Lakers will be unable to surpass the second apron — projected at $207.8MM — for next season.

Although they’ll lose a little bit of roster flexibility as a result of the trade, the Lakers were unlikely to exceed the second apron in ’25/26 anyway, notes Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Twitter link).

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), the Hornets (either No. 33 or No. 34), Raptors (No. 39), Warriors (No. 41) and Thunder (No. 44) are also open to trading their second-round picks. ESPN identified Charlotte this morning as a team to monitor with one of its early second-rounders.

The Timberwolves (No. 31) are also fielding trade inquiries on the first pick of the second round, sources tell Fischer (Twitter link).

Trade Rumors: Lakers, Wiggins, Knicks, Celtics, Cavs, Bulls

June 26th, 2025 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

After previously reporting that the Lakers checked in with the Heat to inquire on Andrew Wiggins‘ price, Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints says the two teams have continued to explore the possibility of a Wiggins trade, though nothing is imminent.

As Irwin details, Rui Hachimura and his expiring contract would likely be the centerpiece of any deal, with another expiring contract (either Maxi Kleber‘s or Gabe Vincent‘s) necessary for salary-matching purposes. According to Irwin, league sources believe the Heat would also try to push for the inclusion of 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht.

A source tells Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the Heat are “very open” to moving Wiggins, who was part of last season’s Jimmy Butler trade with Golden State. Trading him for expiring salaries would create additional cap flexibility for Miami in the summer of 2026.

The Lakers are also scouring the trade market for help at the center position, Irwin continues, but he has heard from league sources that the front office believes the asking price for big men so far has been too high. As a result, it’s possible Los Angeles will look to use the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception to address the center position while trying to upgrade other areas of the roster on the trade market, Irwin explains.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:

Mikal Bridges‘ and Mitchell Robinson‘s names have surfaced in Knicks trade talks this offseason, according to Frank Isola of YES Network (Twitter link). Bridges and Robinson will also both be eligible to sign contract extensions beginning in July, so I’d expect New York to explore both scenarios before determining how best to move forward.
Prior to Wednesday’s first round, the Celtics touched base with teams in the lottery, including the Spurs at No. 14, but didn’t end up finding a deal they liked, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. While Jaylen Brown and Derrick White rumors have circulated this week, Sam Hauser is considered Boston’s top current trade candidate — Chris Mannix of SI.com said during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast that there has been a “robust” market for Hauser (Twitter video link).
The Cavaliers explored the possibility of trading into the first round on Wednesday, with a few picks considered to be available, but didn’t find any opportunities they deemed worthwhile, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The team holds the 49th and 58th overall picks on Thurday.
During a press conference on Wednesday night, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said Chicago spoke to a few teams about moving up before deciding to stand pat at No. 12 and select Noa Essengue. Everseley added that the Bulls may end up trading tonight’s No. 45 pick or using it on a draft-and-stash prospect (Twitter links via Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times).

Lakers Sale To Mark Walter Will Close This Year

June 25th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New incoming Lakers majority owner Mark Walter will assume control of the franchise during the third or fourth quarter of 2025, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.

An ownership group led by Walter is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Walter was already a minority shareholder in the franchise, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.

Current Los Angeles governor Jeanie Buss, who helped steer the franchise to a title in that role five years ago, will stay in that role – and will continue to oversee team day-to-day team operations – “for the foreseeable future,” the Lakers and Walter confirmed in a press statement addressing the sale.

“From the day our father [Dr. Jerry Buss] purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning — relentlessly — and to doing so with passion and with style,” Jeanie Buss said. “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”

Under the Buss family, the Lakers have won 11 championships.

The Chicago-based Walter also has stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and other sports holdings.

“Since Dr. Jerry Buss first purchased the team in 1979, they have truly set the standard for basketball in one era after another, which is why you can find people anywhere in the world wearing Lakers shirts and jerseys,” Walter said.

L.A. Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Harden, Clippers, Draft

June 25th, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

After facing criticism on his way out of Dallas for his work ethic and conditioning, Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been “incredibly committed” to his conditioning since the team’s season ended, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells Woike that Doncic has lost weight and is working on “strict diet and cardio training.” The 26-year-old deviated from his usual offseason routine by spending a month away from on-court activities in order to focus on his body, Woike adds.

As he prepares for his first full season in Los Angeles, Doncic will become eligible later this summer to sign a contract extension that could be worth up to nearly $229MM over four seasons.

We have more on the NBA’s two L.A.-based teams:

Lakers star LeBron James, who sustained an MCL sprain in the last game of the season, stated on Instagram earlier this week that he has resumed on-court work, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays (via Twitter). James has a decision due by Sunday on his $52.6MM player option for 2025/26.
Clippers guard James Harden is being accused of negligence in a civil complaint that includes allegations of sexual assault against his nephew, per Zach Powell of The Athletic. The plaintiff alleges that Harden’s nephew, Justice Armani Blackburn, raped her at a New Year’s party at Harden’s home in Houston. The claim of negligence against Harden is related to the conduct of his in-home security staff, Powell explains, with the lawsuit stating that the 35-year-old is “vicariously liable for the actions of his guards and their corporate employer.”
Janis Carr of The Orange County Register examines some possible draft targets for the Clippers, including Drake Powell, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Noah Penda at No. 30 and Viktor Lakhin at No. 51.
Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times previews draft night for both the Lakers and Clippers, but notes that the brunt of the offseason work for the two L.A. teams will likely come later, with LeBron, Harden, and several other veterans up for new contracts.

Stein’s Latest: Gafford, Irving, VanVleet, Collins, Thybulle

June 24th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The terms of Daniel Gafford‘s three-year extension will keep him trade-eligible without a six-month waiting period, but that doesn’t mean the Mavericks are looking to deal the 26-year-old center, Marc Stein of The Stein Line writes in his latest column (Substack link). Stein confirms that Gafford’s new contract, which will start with the 2026/27 season and is projected to be worth about $54MM, contains no options for him or the team.

Stein states that Dallas’ front office expects “considerable” trade interest in Gafford, but is reluctant to part with him after injuries limited Dereck Lively to 36 games during his second NBA season. Stein notes that forward P.J. Washington is also eligible for an extension this summer and says the Mavericks plan to hold onto him as well.

This is an important day for the organization, Stein adds, as it’s the deadline for Kyrie Irving to pick up a $43MM player option. If Irving passes on the option, Stein views that as a sign that he has an agreement with the Mavericks on a new long-term deal that will likely be announced early in free agency. It’s also possible that Irving could pick up the option and negotiate an extension after the moratorium is lifted or he could decide to test free agency next summer. A source tells Stein that Irving remained undecided as of Monday night.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

The Rockets may decline their $44.9MM option on Fred VanVleet, but Stein states there’s “no scenario” where he won’t be with the team next season. A source tells Stein that Houston and VanVleet would “do a new deal” if the option is turned down by Sunday’s deadline. Stein points out that the original deadline on the team option was five days after the Rockets’ season ended, but VanVleet and the team reached an agreement to push it back to late June. Stein also notes that Kevin Durant will be eligible for a two-year extension once he officially joins the team next month, suggesting it’s possible that VanVleet and Durant will both be signed to new deals that cover the next three seasons.
Stein reports that Jazz center Walker Kessler has been “unavailable for some time” and speculates that could have led to recent rumors that the Lakers are interested in John Collins. Stein calls it a “mischaracterization” to suggest that L.A. is a trade suitor for Collins.
The Trail Blazers expect swingman Matisse Thybulle to pick up his $11.5MM player option by today’s deadline, Stein adds.