The last time the LA Lakers had $50 million in cap space and a free agent class worth targeting, it was the summer of 2021. Sadly, they spent most of it on Russell Westbrook. That decision appeared to set the franchise back two years and showed just how quickly a front office can scatter a championship window. Rob Pelinka has spent every offseason since then trying to prove the lesson was learned. This summer, the Lakers have cap space and genuine targets, and they are seriously making moves.

According to HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto, the Lakers have identified three players, with a combined cap hit of 37.95 million per Spotrac, that can help a roster that was swept out of the conference semifinals by Oklahoma City. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has drawn interest from Los Angeles as an unrestricted free agent, Scotto reported.

“The Cavaliers had a chance to extend Wade last offseason but couldn’t agree on a new deal,” Scotto wrote. Wade helped Cleveland advance to the Eastern Conference Finals last season despite trade discussions with Houston before the deadline that ultimately went nowhere.

The second name is Australian center Jock Landale, a stretch-five coming off back-to-back seasons shooting 38.8% from three with Memphis and Atlanta. Scotto reported that Landale, 30, “is expected to command offers north of the bi-annual exception” with the Lakers among several interested teams.

The third name is Nuggets wing Cam Johnson, and the most significant of the three. “The 30-year-old forward shot career-highs from the field (.480) and beyond the arc (.430) and is on an expiring $23.06 million contract,” Scotto wrote, with the Lakers, Celtics, Heat, Clippers, and Magic all registering interest as Denver navigates a second-apron relief.

In the Conference semis, OKC controlled the paint from start to finish in the four-game series. Both Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes proved inconsistent as the Lakers’ front line was physically overmatched throughout. Wade, a 6-foot-9 versatile forward who can defend multiple positions and shoot from the perimeter, addresses the switching and floor-spacing issues lacked.

On the other hand, Landale provides a reliable stretch-five option at a price that helps the team stay flexible in the market. Johnson, on an expiring contract, is a 30-year-old who has never shot better and whose deal disappears after one season regardless of fit.

The Lakers are projected to have approximately $48 million in available cap space this summer, the most of any team in the NBA. Reaves’ extension was structured to preserve that flexibility.

The moves came after a more ambitious plan didn’t work out. Before Tyler Herro joined Milwaukee in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and before the Lakers agreed to a four-year, $185 million max deal with Austin Reaves, Los Angeles had active trade discussions surrounding Herro and Kel’el Ware. Herro, a 26-year-old All-Star guard on an expiring $33 million deal, would have addressed the ball-handling and scoring creation gaps the Thunder series exposed, while Ware’s 7-foot frame and rim-running ability would have solved their frontcourt problem in one move. Sadly, neither arrived.

How the Herro-Ware Door Closed, and What It Means for the Lakers’ Rebuild

The Giannis trade was finalized as a direct deal between Milwaukee and Miami – Herro, Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-rounder heading to the Bucks in exchange for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

The deal closed off any path for a third team to extract either Herro or Ware before it was locked in. Even after the deal was announced, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst asserted that the Lakers should call Milwaukee about flipping Ware. Scotto also confirmed that the Lakers were linked with trade interest in Ware over the past several days, but with Ware under his team’s control at a reasonable salary, the Bucks had no urgency to move him cheaply, and the asking price in first-round picks was always going to be against a Lakers team already short on draft capital.

Herro, now on an expiring $33 million deal in Milwaukee, is expected to continue drawing trade interest with executives around the league watching closely to see whether the Bucks trend toward a full rebuild or maintain competitiveness with the players they acquired.

The Lakers may get another look at him at the deadline if Milwaukee’s direction becomes clear, but for now, Los Angeles has closed that chapter and opened a new one built on Wade-Landale-Johnson.

And with roughly $50 million in cap space and LeBron James’ contract situation still unresolved, every dollar committed to the supporting cast changes what is left for the 41-year-old. Shams Charania confirmed on Saturday that the Lakers have not yet made an offer to James, with the front office strategy centered on building the roster first.