The Los Angeles Lakers face an immediate roster crunch ahead of the 2026–27 NBA season, currently carrying 16 players under contract with only 15 open roster spots available. The mathematical dilemma became more complicated after primary free-agent target Jonathan Kuminga opted to sign elsewhere, leaving Los Angeles searching for frontcourt solutions before their October opener.
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NBA analyst Jake Weinbach highlighted the Lakers’ roster situation on X, listing three possible trade targets to bolster their forward depth, including 2020 Lakers champion Kyle Kuzma.
“If the Lakers continue to pursue a starting-level forward after missing out on Jonathan Kuminga, notable trade targets could include PJ Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., or Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers are still above the roster limit with 16 players currently under contract,” Weinbach wrote.
Los Angeles is capped at $209 million and will have to cut at least one player before the 2026-27 campaign begins on October 21.
The Lakers offered Kuminga a three-year contract valued at over $12 million annually. However, Kuminga rejected the offer to sign a two-year, $12.4 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a 2027 player option. According to his agent, Aaron Turner, the primary factors driving Kuminga’s choice were positional fit and personal recruitment by Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
Without Kuminga in the fold, a potential reunion with Kuzma offers both tactical fit and financial logic. Kuzma is entering the final year of his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks at approximately $20.5 million, providing L.A. with an expiring deal that preserves future salary cap flexibility.
During his initial four-year tenure with the Lakers, Kuzma averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists across 276 regular-season games. As a core contributor off the bench during the Lakers’ 2020 championship run in the Orlando bubble, he averaged 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds across 21 postseason games. Last season with Milwaukee, Kuzma averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Outside of Kuzma, the other target for the Lakers has been Dallas Mavericks’ wing player PJ Washington, who has a contract till 2029-30 worth close to 90 million dollars.
PJ Washington was averaging 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks last season, and he had chemistry with Luka Doncic from playing together when the Mavericks were in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Derrick Jones Jr., of the LA Clippers, is the third trade target for the Lakers. He is a wing defender who played in the 2024 NBA Finals with the Mavericks, averaging 9.1 points on 37% shooting from the three-point line in 22 playoff games.
Jones will earn 10.4 million dollars in the final year of his contract, which makes him one more financial possibility for the Lakers depending on whether they opt for defensive stability or offensive potential.
Whichever way Los Angeles decides to go, they have a very limited amount of time to decide on their roster and have all 15 men ready before their game against the Golden State Warriors.