Luka Dealt to Lakers: Nico Harrison is a Basketball Terrorist

[omahen]

They have almost nothing on their cap for 2026 right now, but if they keep both Luka and Lebron under max contract, they won't have max cap space. Way less. In fact, with the few salaries they have on the books for 2026, and if they just let everyone else walk, they would then be working as an over-cap team (ie, less cap room than the big MLE).

Of course, there's no guarantee they will have EITHER Luka or Lebron. LBJ might retire. And there's no guarantee Luka will want to stay in LA. He will be a FA in 2026, and can sign a max deal with anyone. Where does LUKA want to play?

I will be extremely surprised if Luka doesn't resign in LA this summer. I give it at least a 95 % probability. Lakers will of course do everything possible to convince him it makes sense to stay, compete and win titles. Despite what might look like limited options at this current moment. The key for their longterm future is LeBron. As good as he is, he will not get better with age. So keeping him on max deal will be a huge obstacle. As it looks now, everything seems set that LeBron is no longer on a max deal in 2026. 

If by some chance Luka doesn't resign this summer, Lakers best move might be to trade him this summer and start a rebuild. They will still get a lot, even if he pinpoints only a few teams he wishes to resign with. Losing him for nothing would be a disaster. A young up and coming teams would probably be a win-win situation for everyone in this case. Houston, Orlando or Detroit, for example. All of them can offer young high upside players, have a bunch of picks and can still become an instant contender, if they add Luka.