The Lakers did sign DeAndre Ayton to help the team's depth at the center position, but lost their best perimeter defender in Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets. Outside of Rui Hachimura, the Lakers lack depth at the small forward position.

Los Angeles Lakers eye Atlanta Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu. This move follows Kristaps Porzingis's arrival in Atlanta. Okongwu's role might diminish. Lakers see a trade opportunity. He offers defense and rebounding.

Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA;Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Rumors are swirling around the Los Angeles Lakers after an insider breaks down LeBron James' retirement plans.

Related: Disappointing NBA Rumors on Los Angeles Lakers’ Trade Deadline Plans Jarred Vanderbilt stats 2023-’24 ( ESPN ): 5.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 51.8% FG in 20 MPG

In fairness, the Lakers have made a couple of moves to help address that this summer by drafting Adou Thiero with the 36th overall pick. He projects as a very good perimeter defender. They also signed Jake LaRavia, who has made it very clear that the defensive side of the ball is where he plans on making his mark with the purple and gold.

While NBA superstar LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season, it did not guarantee that he would remain in L.A. How the Lakers would handle player acquisition via the draft and free agency led to speculation over whether James could be traded.

New Update Surfaces on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic to Lakers Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.