Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The assumption among many fans now that LeBron is out the door is that Bronny is soon to follow, or should be at least, whether that's because the Lakers push him out (why bother with him now that dad is gone) or another team acquires him as part of their LeBron Recruitment Pitch.  But is that how this is going to play out? Should it be?  The Lakers aren't going to release Bronny, knowing he's gua...

First things first - there's no indication that Dallas forward PJ Washington is actually on the market, but his name pops up all the time and in theory, there are reasons the Mavericks might want to move off his contract.  In theory.  But let's say it's true. Would the Lakers, who badly need a starting caliber forward (which Washington definitely) is, really not want to take on Washington because,...

The Lakers started into their business this week making official what was unofficial before. Tuesday, it was the business of finalizing the trade to send Deandre Ayton to Washington, before the Lakers used up their cap space, thus making Jaden Hardy aggregate-able in a future trade.  The Lakers have also signed Mamu, and Wednesday, made the Walker Kessler trade official. What's notable about all o...

The Lakers, having traded Deandre Ayton, badly needed to address the backup center position, and on Tuesday did just that, signing veteran Kevon Looney, known mostly for his time in Golden State but most recently with the New Orleans Pelicans.  Looney is an interesting addition, because he's definitely a veteran who can provide a voice and guidance for a team that is now extremely young. But at ne...

We learned Monday morning that Rui Hachimura will be heading to Inglewood to join the Clippers next season, on a two year deal worth $28 million (with the second season a team option). The Lakers had reportedly hoped they might be able to keep Hachimura around, but clearly he hasn't been a priority, given the number of players they've already brought in, and the fact that Rui has been extension el...

The Lakers need some wins in the draft and player development space after swings and misses on Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht.  Well, Cameron Carr looks like that guy, through two California Classic games, at least.  Carr has displayed the rangy, top shelf athleticism and excellent shooting skills (coming off screens, relcating, catch and shoot and so on) from beyond the arc. Needless to sa...

As the Lakers reportedly try to open up the space to continue adding to what is currently a guard-heavy, wing/forward-light roster, there was at least some hope that they could find a way to bring Rui Hachimura back.  Well, that's not a thing anymore.  Reports on Monday have Hachimura moving crosstown to the Clippers, on a two-year, $28 million contract. Rui was definitely a fan favorite, and a tr...

One of the big moves the Lakers made after the big Walker Kessler trade was to wrap up former Raptors PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili. The Georgian vet has been a darling of the analytics community for a while, but had a breakout year last season, showing chops as a passer, rebounder and energy-bringer. But enough to justify a four year, $52 million contract?  The Lakers hope so.  But is Mamu a power f...

The Lakers are trying to open up enough space to bring in one more impact player this offseason, and started that business on Friday by trading backup center Deandre Ayton to Washington for guard Jaden Hardy (who is kind of incidental to this whole transaction), and two second round picks.  The Lakers also save about two million dollars, which will be very helpful both for the free agent Tetris on...

The Lakers want to make fans happy, they always like the good vibes that come with approval from the media.  But the person they really need to make happy? That's Luka Dončić. And on that front, multiple reports indicate that Team Luka is on board with what the Lakers have done, and is very enthusiastic about the addition of Walker Kessler, which is obviously important because he's now part of thi...

Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton. These are the big names we know will be on the roster next year after a flurry of activity on Wednesday.  There's a lot to like about the new guys, starting with youth (Austin Reaves is now the oldest player on the team), offensive players who can put pressure on the rim, a defensive anchor in Kessler, multi-year contracts that...

Tuesday's opening to NBA free agency was boring.  Wednesday was poppin'.  The Lakers got off to a fast start, coming to terms with Utah center Walker Kessler on the terms of a contract (4 years, $130 million), and the Jazz on the terms of a trade (two firsts, two pick swaps). Then they signed PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, SG Quentin Grimes and PG Collin Sexton. So that's the nuts and bolts of it unt...

It took a minute, but once things shook loose the Lakers VERY quickly reshaped their roster for the Luka Dončić era. The massive piece of business (metaphorically and literally) was the agreement to acquire Utah center Walker Kessler, all 7'2", 245 lbs. of him, for a huge price. Two unprotected first round picks, two pick swaps. Otherwise known as basically everything they had that Utah would want...

The Lakers started the day by losing LeBron James. That was, and remains, the biggest news of the day. And how this ends remains to be seen. There's still a chance the Lakers will want to help LeBron find a destination, in order to engineer a sign and trade that might bring back something (though temper your hopes) of value.  At some point, there will be time to think about the LeBron era, but for...

The marriage of convenience is no longer convenient. LeBron James informed the Lakers Tuesday that he'll be playing next season, but not for them, according to multiple reports. It means the Lakers get meaningful clarity going forward, something they've lacked in the last few years of the LeBron Era, but have a giant hole blown in their roster when it comes to competing in a Western Conference tha...

The market for restricted free agents is starting to heat up a little, and it starts with meetings! Both Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren are at least testing the market as free agency begins. Duren seems to be more in conflict with his current employers in Detroit than Kessler but both of them are taking meetings and considering offers.  Can the Lakers compete? Particularly if Detroit and Utah will...

In the long term, winning your first big press conference doesn't really win you much, but it was still a great introduction for Cameron Carr last week to the LA media. The newest Laker was enthusiastic, appreciative of the opportunity, and didn't seem at all overwhelmed. He understood the challenge in front of him, vowing to live in the weight room this offseason and promising people will know ov...

Free agency is coming fast, and while the rumor mill is spinning on overdrive, the Lakers seem to be more on the periphery of things.  Now that doesn't necessarily mean much, but it gets to some of the challenges they face. It's a big offseason for them, but the quality of unrestricted free agents isn't great. There are potential trades out there to be had (including some that have already been ma...

The Lakers are believed to be looking for a frontline center to pair with Luka Dončić. For that matter, they're reportedly interested in changing up most of the depth chart at center. The shakeup didn't start on Draft night, either with a trade or a pick. So what happens next? Names like Walker Kessler and Mitchell Robinson are still very much in the conversation, attached to the team. They are di...

The NBA is percolating, with free agency kicking off next week. But for the Lakers, there is still a ton of interest in the guy they selected -- and actually seem ready to keep -- in Tuesday's first round of the NBA Draft.  Cameron Carr, a 6'5" guard out of Baylor, rocketed up the charts this season, his first as a full time, high-minutes player at the college level. The athleticism is top shelf,...

More reaction from the news that Austin Reaves and the Lakers came to an agreement Wednestday that'll keep him in LA for the long term.  Final terms, 4 years, $185 million. It's a lot of money, more than the Lakers likely hoped they'd pay, or maybe even expected to. But with interest heating up (the Pistons being the team most widely reported to be making preparations to free the space required to...

On Tuesday, the Lakers gave fans a lot to cheer about, moving up a spot to draft hyper-athletic, sweet-shooting guard Cameron Carr out of Baylor. That was generally quite well received.  Wednesday, in a significantly more important piece of business, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Lakers had agreed to a four year, $185 contract with Austin Reaves, which will be signed near the end of the...

A lot of folks were expecting some zig, but the Lakers definitely delivered some zag.  And after sending some cash to James Dolan's New York Knicks to bump up one spot in the first round, the Lakers selected 6'5", 21-year old guard Cameron Carr out of Baylor with their pick. Broadly, the expectation was that LA would select a big, or failing that, a more prototypical wing player, given some of the...

The Los Angeles Lakers received Baylor guard Cameron Carr from the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Lakers have some hard choices to make as they try and put a winning team around Luka Doncic, and one of the biggest is how to bring back Austin Reaves (which they need to do, short of using Reaves essentially to find his replacement, which feels like a long shot) but do so at a number that they're happy with. And more importantly, provides the type of flexibility to fill other important needs...