The Los Angeles Lakers were aggressive in the offseason, building around Luka Doncic. The pursuit of Walker Kessler meant the front office now has limited room to maneuver through trades. However, a better-than-expected salary cap projection for 2027-28 could give the Purple and Gold franchise another route to improve the roster that doesn’t touch Doncic or Austin Reaves at all.

The Athletic’s Fred Katz and John Hollinger reported that the NBA has raised its 2027-28 salary cap projection to $176 million. With that, the luxury tax line is now expected to land at $213 million. That’s $2 million higher than the league’s earlier $174 million estimate, and it pushes the year-over-year growth rate to roughly 6.7%, compared to the 5.5% previously forecast.

One of the prominent Lakers analysts pointed out on X, “The Lakers are set to have around $22M in exceptions to spend next summer, enough to add a starter without touching Luka or Reaves’ money.”

This increase of roughly $2 million over prior estimates would allow the Lakers to sign a starter-level player using tools like the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (~$16M) and bi-annual exception (~$5.8M) without altering Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves’ contracts. This cap projection gives the Lakers some much-needed financial flexibility, especially with their limited draft capital.

The Lakers needed this because they don’t have much else to work with. Los Angeles sent Utah two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two additional first-round pick swaps (2028 and 2030) in a sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract. And it leaves the Lakers without a tradable first-rounder for years.

Zach Lowe highlighted this exact issue on his podcast, pointing out that the picks and swaps the Lakers gave up for Kessler have left the front office with limited options moving forward. Beyond running it back with the current roster, Lowe argued that Los Angeles could eventually find itself in a position where it has to consider dangling Austin Reaves in a trade.

“I like Walker Kessler as a player. People can go back and listen to the segment I did about why I think this will actually work decently for the Lakers on both ends of the floor,” he said on the Zach Lowe Show. “There is no question that they overpaid for him and are now trapped with this team and have to figure out either this is the team or is there a way to pivot by trading Austin Reeves down the line or something like that, because they’re out of tradable assets because of the Walker Kessler deal.”

That’s the backdrop that makes the new cap number matter. Without meaningful draft capital to attach to a trade offer, financial tools become the Lakers’ best remaining lever for adding talent.

So a higher cap projection means a bigger non-taxpayer mid-level exception, too. This is projected at roughly $16.05 million for 2027-28, with a biannual exception of close to $5.8 million. If the Lakers keep their books in order and stay near $22.9 million below the first apron, they’d have enough breathing room to use the full non-taxpayer MLE.

The analyst also clarified that the exceptions can’t be combined, but this is still a favorable outcome. “Wasn’t tryna make it come off that way, that’s why I put “exceptions”. And you can def get a starter for $16M/year!”

Plus, they can still round out the roster with minimum deals. All without touching Luka Doncic’s or Reaves’ money. None of this guarantees a star walks through the door. A $16 million mid-level exception won’t land a max free agent on its own, and the cap projection isn’t finalized until June 2027.

For a team that has already moved much of its draft capital and committed to three max-level salaries, having a realistic financial path to add a starter-caliber player matters. The Lakers still need to make the numbers work, and the projection could change before the 2027-28 season. Player options will also play a role in determining the final payroll.

Still, the latest projection gives Los Angeles some valuable breathing room. With limited draft capital to use in trades, that financial flexibility could become one of the Lakers’ clearest avenues to improve the roster.

The Lakers have already made major moves to build around Luka Doncic, adding Walker Kessler and locking up Austin Reaves long-term. If these cap projections hold, they could still have enough room to make another significant addition without completely closing off their future options.