NBA Free Agency kicked off Monday at 3 p.m., resetting the sports landscape as teams retool and reimagine their rosters for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Los Angeles Lakers have major decisions to make regarding the future of its team with an obvious hole at the center position and potential questions about how best to navigate the construction of the team with LeBron James entering his 23rd season and Luka Dončić a fresh-faced 26 years old.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James watches Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden as he gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Los Angeles Clippers will also likely be active in free agency, with guard James Harden declining the last year of his contract to re-sign with the Clippers on a two-year, $81.5 million deal being the first domino.
Both teams will have to negotiate the complexities of the more restrictive salary restrictions that went into effect prior to the 2023-24 NBA season.
Movement across the league has included former Lakers and Clippers players, including Jordan Clarkson, who negotiated a player buyout with the Utah Jazz and plans to sign with the New York Knicks, and D’Angelo Russell, who was expected to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN.
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