Rob Pelinka has set the Los Angeles Lakers up for plenty of cap space in the summer of 2026, and that should give them ample opportunity to reshape the roster around Luka Doncic. One key maneuver in that strategy could be poaching a valuable restricted free agent.
With the extension deadline for most major names rapidly approaching, today at 3 p.m. PT, the traction on a handful of key players who could become restricted free agents has just not been there. That should be great news for the Lakers.
Given the time-sensitive nature of this conversation, there can still be plenty of change before the clock officially runs out on teams around the league. However, a handful of NBA insiders have been pessimistic about the likelihood of many of these deals getting done.
The Portland Trail Blazers got two of their guys, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara, locked up on Sunday. Sharpe received a four-year, $90 million deal, while Camara secured a four-year, $82 million contract. Apart from that, there remain several names who could be of significant interest to the Lakers next offseason.
Lakers will have plenty of leverage to steal a top talent from NBA rival
Restricted free agency is one of the trickier battlegrounds of the NBA offseason. As the name implies, teams hold rights to retain their own players by matching any offer sheet given to them. Despite that, the process is not always as simple and straightforward as that.
Teams will have a price. If another franchise can come in and offer a contract that is beyond the comfort of the rights holders, the feat of snatching away a prized free agent can be had.
Granted, that is easier said than done. That also means overpaying a bit for a name that you are convinced will help your team. Still, that venture could ultimately prove worthwhile in the end.
If Los Angeles wants to fill their long-term starting center spot with someone other than Deandre Ayton, Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren are trending towards being available. Both centers are built in the mold of players who would thrive with Doncic.
The Pistons are not expected to sign Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey to extensions, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/tzFLuQgo7Z
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Dyson Daniels is another name who should be intriguing for the Lakers. With the obvious need for a boost to the perimeter defense, Daniels would be more than a serviceable answer to those problems. Michael Scotto suggested the Atlanta Hawks guard is far apart on a new deal with his franchise.
Scotto wrote, "Dyson Daniels and agent Daniel Moldovan have been seeking a five-year, $150 million deal during extension negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks. ... Hawks have been closer to a ballpark range of five years, $115 million, during negotiations, league sources told HoopsHype."
With the cap space that is projected to be available to the Lakers in 2026, Pelinka should have an opportunity to pry away one of these young talents, if the desire is there. That is an encouraging situation to enter for a team that lacks team-building assets in other places.