![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2207869283_636a13-e1752370480548.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before a game against the Chicago Bulls.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> have found form at the right time, winning 16 of their last 18 games as the race for playoff positioning intensifies.<\/p>\n Currently on a four-game winning streak, the Lakers have moved into sole possession of the third seed in a tightly contested Western Conference with a 50-26 record.<\/p>\n While the immediate focus remains on securing playoff positioning, attention is also beginning to shift towards a potentially defining offseason for the franchise.<\/p>\n Lakers Set for Cap Space Flexibility as Key Offseason Decisions Loom<\/p>\n The Lakers are projected<\/a> to have close to $50 million in cap space this summer, with several contracts coming off the books, most notably LeBron James<\/a>\u2019 $52.6 million salary.<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Dave McMenamin<\/a> recently reported that the Lakers are not expected to pursue another star outside of James.<\/p>\n Instead, they are believed to prioritize using their cap space to re-sign Austin Reaves<\/a>, Jaxson Hayes<\/a>, and Luke Kennard<\/a>.<\/p>\n James returning on a reduced salary remains a possibility, as does a new deal for Rui Hachimura<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the same time, the NBA Draft could present a cost-effective avenue<\/a> for Los Angeles to strengthen the roster while maintaining long-term flexibility.<\/p>\n The Lakers currently control their 2026 first-round pick and are projected to select in the later stages of the round.<\/p>\n In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report\u2019s Jonathan Wasserman<\/a> has the Lakers selecting Arkansas freshman Maleek Thomas with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n \u201cMeleek Thomas got off to an excellent start in the NCAA tournament with his shotmaking and efficiency,\u201d Wasserman wrote. \u201cHe\u2019s played with confidence easy to see just by watching his shot diet and how decisive he looks rising up into jumpers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThough there would be more interest in Thomas if he was able to showcase some playmaking, NBA<\/a> teams could see late first-round value around his potential to provide instant offense, spot-up shooting and active defense off the bench.\u201d<\/p>\n Maleek Thomas Emerging as Late First-Round Option for LA<\/p>\n Through 37 games this season, including 21 starts, Thomas averaged<\/a> 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 43.5% from the field.<\/p>\n He also shot an impressive 41.6% from three-point range on 5.3 attempts per game.<\/p>\n The 19-year-old guard scored 21 and 19 points in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, helping lead Arkansas to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to Arizona.<\/p>\n He added 17 points in the loss to the Wildcats and recorded eight steals across the three tournament games, highlighting his two-way potential.<\/p>\n \u201cA big time shot-maker with range on his jumper, Thomas has a silky smooth game and just knows how to put the ball in the bucket,\u201d NBA Draft Room<\/a> state. \u201cCompetes at a high level and gives good effort on both ends.\u201d<\/p>\n Wasserman has compared Thomas to Jordan Clarkson<\/a>, pointing to his potential as a high-volume scoring guard at the next level.<\/p>\n Whether the Lakers would select another guard, following recent first-round investments in Dalton Knecht<\/a> and Jalen Hood-Schifino<\/a>, remains unclear.<\/p>\n However, Thomas represents an intriguing option who could add scoring depth behind Luka Doncic<\/a> and Reaves, should the latter re-sign this summer.<\/p>\n The Lakers could also explore using their 2026 first-round pick in a trade for an established player. If they retain the selection, though, the late first-round range offers several appealing prospects, with Thomas standing out as a strong candidate.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatt Evans<\/a> is a sports journalist from the United Kingdom, based in Paris, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA and wider global sport. More about Matt Evans<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,6,12],"class_list":{"0":"post-693663","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}