The Lakers have made a few additions to their roster during the NBA offseason, with the storied franchise aiming to add more talent around superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James ahead of the 2025-26 season in hopes of contending in a stacked Western Conference headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.

LaRavia, formerly of the division rival Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, was the first player the team reached out to when NBA free agency began this summer. LaVavia was selected out of Wake Forest by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The draft rights to LaRavia were later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent the last two and a half seasons before being dealt to the Kings in a three-team deal last season.

In 19 games with the Kings and 47 games with the Grizzlies during the 2024-25 campaign, LaRavia averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He shot 47.5% from the field and 42.3% from beyond the arc.

“Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system,” Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said. “He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all three levels and has a knack for creating space for himself and his teammates. Being just 23 years old, we think Jake has significant basketball upside, which will be honed nicely in our Lakers basketball development program.”

The addition of LaRavia adds some depth to the roster, which will be much needed after Dorian Finney-Smith opted out of his deal with Los Angeles and signed with the Rockets.

It’ll be interesting to see how LaRavia fits in Los Angeles and whether he’ll play a significant role on the squad next season. The Lakers also added veteran center Deandre Ayton to the roster and re-signed center Jaxson Hayes to address a glaring need in the frontcourt.

Austin Reaves helped recruit Jake LaRavia to the Lakers

The Lakers had Jake LaRavia in their crosshairs well ahead of the start of NBA free agency. One of the main reasons for this was Austin Reaves recruiting LaRavia to Los Angeles, as he has the same agent.

LaRavia appears to be quite happy with his decision to sign with the Lakers, as he took to social media to share how excited he is about wearing the purple and gold moving forward.

The Lakers will be the third team he’s played for during his NBA career. He was initially drafted by the Timberwolves and had his draft rights traded to the Grizzlies. He landed with the Kings ahead of the NBA trade deadline last season, playing only 19 games with the franchise.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

The No. 1 goal for the Lakers heading into the NBA offseason was to upgrade the frontcourt, specifically the center position. The Lakers sought to sign or acquire a lob threat in a trade who could thrive playing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Although it took a bit longer than expected, especially with so many projected targets coming off the board like Steven Adams and Brook Lopez, the Lakers seem to have found their new starting center in the former No. 1 overall pick Ayton.

“Acquiring a starting-caliber center was the top priority for us this offseason, and we believe Deandre is an amazing solution to that objective and is an ideal player to add to our current core,” Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “Deandre’s size, mobility and athleticism will allow both paint scoring and paint protection. Deandre’s playoff experience as a starter on an NBA Finals team also aligns well with our ultimate Lakers championship aspirations.”

Ayton recently agreed to a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers after spending the last two seasons with the struggling franchise. Even though Ayton played only a combined 95 games over the last two seasons with Portland, he put up some solid numbers. He averaged a double-double during that span with 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, shooting 58.3% from the field.

Along with bringing Ayton to upgrade the center position, the Lakers have also re-signed Jaxson Hayes. Even though Hayes had a forgettable performance during the five games played in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he did have some success as a lob threat after the Lakers brought in Doncic.

Ayton has played seven seasons in the NBA since being drafted No. 1 overall out of the University of Arizona in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. He spent five seasons with the Suns before he was traded to Portland in the summer of 2023, which was part of the three-team trade that sent superstar Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Deandre Ayton sends first message to Lakers fans

The Lakers were able to take advantage of the Blazers’ decision to buy out Deandre Ayton, signing him to a two-year deal.

Ayton seemed excited about joining the Lakers and filling a void in the frontcourt, as he took to social media to bid farewell to Portland and welcome fans of the iconic Los Angeles franchise.

Head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff will likely thrust Ayton into the starting lineup with Hayes coming off the bench to start the 2025-26 NBA season. Fellow Lakers newcomer Jake LaRavia will undoubtedly come off the bench, along with incoming rookie Adou Thiero out of the University of Arkansas.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Although the Buss family has been reluctant to sell the team or even entertain the notion of doing so, Mark Walter gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse. A record-setting $10 billion valuation will be given to Jeanie Buss and company, marking the highest total of a professional sports team sold in the United States. Walter, who is also the majority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will take the Lakers franchise in a new direction with a track record filled with success and the willingness to pay the money needed to keep this team as competitive as can be in this new era of basketball in Los Angeles.

With this move being massive, to say the least, it raises the question of whether Doncic was informed about the sale before its announcement on Wednesday. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Lakers’ newcomer was given a heads-up before the news broke:

Sources told Shelburne that Lakers star Luka Doncic, acquired in the blockbuster February trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas, was given a short heads-up on the purchase agreement.

Reports indicated that Doncic is excited about the move, and he then put out his own statement to express exactly that:

The Lakers are an amazing organization. I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them…

— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) June 19, 2025

With Walter at the helm and Doncic seemingly motivated to take his game to another level moving forward, the Lakers franchise appears to be in an ideal position to be a real threat in the Western Conference for years to come. The next order of business will be addressing the moves that need to be made to bolster the team’s roster, starting with the frontcourt.

It’ll be interesting to see how the arrival of Walter impacts the team’s decision-making process over the summer and whether he’s genuinely willing to go all out to make this squad a legitimate title contender heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

Magic Johnson reacts to Lakers being sold to Mark Walter

After 12 years working alongside Mark Walter as co-owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Magic Johnson knows exactly what Los Angeles Lakers fans are getting with the new ownership. Johnson is ecstatic about the Buss family selling to Walter and is excited for what the future will bring for one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Lakers have waived guard Quincy Olivari, who was on a two-way deal with the team and spent most of his time this season with the South Bay Lakers in the G League:

The Los Angeles Lakers waived two-way guard Quincy Olivari, sources told @hoopshype. Olivari has averaged 17.2 points, including 40.6 percent from 3-point range, 4.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds for the South Bay Lakers in the G League. He's expected to draw interest in free agency. pic.twitter.com/61GHEzCD5c

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) January 15, 2025

Olivari made an impression on the Lakers brass during the Summer League and throughout the NBA preseason, as he quickly became a fan favorite as a dynamic scorer in the backcourt for Los Angeles. The 23-year-old only played in two games on the NBA level for the Lakers this season, where he saw the floor in garbage time and never really had a chance to prove his worth to the storied franchise.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers plan to sign center Trey Jemison to fill Olivari in the two-way role moving forward.

The Lakers plan to sign Trey Jemison to Los Angeles' open two-way spot, league sources tell me and @TheSteinLine. Lakers waived guard Quincy Olivari earlier on Wednesday.

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) January 15, 2025

The 25-year-old big man played in 16 games with the New Orleans Pelicans this season before landing with the Lakers on a two-way deal following Olivari being waived by the team. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor in 10.4 minutes per contest.

The Lakers have been looking for some depth in the frontcourt going back to NBA free agency during the summer. The team’s efforts to bring in another bruising big alongside superstar Anthony Davis have fallen short, and it’s unlikely Jemison will fill that role for Los Angeles.

It’ll be interesting to see what the team does heading toward the deadline and whether another trade might be on the horizon to bring in a big man like Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz or Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards.

LeBron James: Lakers aren’t the team they’ll be in February and March

Los Angeles has been very hot and cold this season, with the team tending to struggle when it faces some of the best teams in the Western Conference. Even though the trade for Dorian Finney-Smith was likely a step in the right direction, more moves are needed for this team to contend in the West.

LeBron James believes the team will improve over the next two months, whether that means they make another trade or two or figure out how to put it together with the roster as currently constructed.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

The league announced the postponement on Friday night. The Los Angeles Clippers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets, whom the Lakers were initially supposed to face on Thursday at Crypto, was also postponed.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/5cIz1BUFt7

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 11, 2025

The devastation in Los Angeles could be described as apocalyptic, with the wildfires burning for four days heading into Friday night, resulting in nearly 200,000 evacuations and over 1,000 homes in ashes, including Lakers head coach JJ Redick. The first-time head coach is one of the many who had their families displaced in these fires, which have been destroying homes and businesses at a historic rate.

Even though Redick’s world was turned upside down, the Lakers’ leader on the sidelines wanted to play on Saturday against the Spurs. He expressed his desire to return to work after practice on Friday, but that won’t happen after this latest development.

There’s no telling when the devastation in Los Angeles will end or the team will return to work on the basketball court. The Lakers’ next game is tentatively scheduled for Monday, when they’ll host the Spurs. This would have been their second consecutive game against San Antonio in Los Angeles.

If the game against the Spurs is postponed on Monday, the Lakers’ next game will be on Wednesday, Jan. 15, when they will play host to the Miami Heat at Crypto.

JJ Redick opens up about losing home Los Angeles wildfires

After Thursday’s practice, Redick addressed the media for the first time since losing his home to the wildfires. Redick was emotional during this media session, as he had to fight back the tears while talking about how his family had been uprooted and all the devastation in his community.

Despite all he and his family have been through, Redick was all for playing against the Spurs on Saturday. However, the game was postponed, and the next game is tentatively set to be against San Antonio on Monday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!