The Lakers’ 2026-27 Salary-cap Sheet After The First Wave Of Free Agency

After a quiet opening night of free agency, the Lakers got to work. On July 1, they agreed to a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and agreed to sign Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton. A week later, they added Kevon Looney on a one-year, veteran-minimum contract, and they’ve since signed Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle to minimum deals as well.

In total, the Lakers have shelled out more than a quarter-billion dollars this summer. After entering free agency with the ability to create more than $50 million in salary-cap space, they’re now out of spending power.

The Lakers have no remaining salary-cap exceptions after spending the room MLE, so they can only offer minimum contracts to other free agents for now.

Since Looney, Williams and Thybulle are signing one-year vet-min deals, they will each count as only $2.45 million on the Lakers’ books. The Lakers are now also hard-capped at the first apron after acquiring Kessler via sign-and-trade.

Here’s a look at where the Lakers stand financially in the wake of their free-agent flurry.

After signing Thybulle, the Lakers are now projected to be roughly $600,000 above the $200.4 million luxury-tax line and roughly $13 million below their first-apron hard cap.

Since the Lakers can’t cross the first apron this season, they will have considerable in-season trade flexibility. Teams above the first apron can’t take back more salary than they send out in trades, but teams below it can take back significantly more.

Kessler, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Sexton won’t be trade-eligible until Dec. 15 at the earliest, but that’s something to file away for ahead of the trade deadline.

Can the Lakers create more cap space?

Between Reaves, Sexton, Grimes, Luka Dončić and rookie Cameron Carr, the Lakers now appear to be set in the backcourt. Their frontcourt is also in fairly good shape between Kessler, Mamukelashvili, Looney, Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia.

However, their situation at the three leaves much to be desired even after the addition of Thybulle and Williams, barring a massive leap from either Adou Thiero or an immediate impact from Carr.

Even if Reaves, Dončić and Grimes all start together in a three-guard lineup, the Lakers could use some additional wing help. They have a few pathways to continue adding to their roster this offseason despite being capped out.

Now that the Lakers have officially signed Reaves to his new contract, they cannot create additional cap space this offseason. Salary-dumping Vanderbilt’s $12.4 million deal would help push them far below the tax line, but it wouldn’t given them more spending power.

Their best bet would be using Vanderbilt’s contract in a sign-and-trade. That would allow them to offer someone (Jonathan Kuminga?) a starting salary as high as roughly $21.5 million.

As the game of free-agency musical chairs runs out, the Lakers might be able to snag a wing for cheap — perhaps even on a minimum contract — since they can offer a legitimate role. Playing alongside an elite playmaker like Dončić could help players improve their market value moving forward, too. But if the Lakers hang on to Vanderbilt, they’re likely done with their big moves in free agency.

Do the additions of Kessler, Mamukelashvili, Grimes, Sexton, Looney, Williams and Thybulle outweigh the departures of LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Ayton and Hachimura? Do the Lakers have something else up their sleeves? We’ll find out soon enough.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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