Los Angeles

Lakers

The 30th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Looney is back in the Pacific Division after one season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Having spent his entire NBA career outside of the 2024-25 campaign with the Warriors, the veteran center was limited to just 21 appearances last season. While Looney will give the Lakers the needed depth at center behind new starter Walker Kessler, he’s unlikely to have an impact on fantasy basketball.

With first-round pick Cameron Carr (five points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block) playing just 13 minutes in the Lakers’ final game of the California Classic, Mañon was the team’s best scoring option on Monday. And the two-way contract wing made the most of his opportunity, shooting 70 percent from the field and recording a complete stat line. Given his contract status, Mañon is unlikely to get the opportunities needed to make an impact in fantasy basketball next season. However, his first step is to surpass the nine NBA appearances he made during his rookie season.

Limited to 25 NBA appearances as a rookie, Thiero may be able to earn a larger role within the Lakers’ rotation next season. LeBron James has informed the team that he won’t be back, and Rui Hachimura remains a free agent. The Lakers have a clear need for athleticism on the wing, and Thiero can certainly provide that. He didn’t have his best shooting game against the Spurs, but his ability to influence the action defensively was on display at times. While Walker Kessler will provide the rim protection, he can’t be the only player who provides cover for the Lakers’ subpar perimeter defenders. Thiero isn’t someone to target in redraft leagues, but he is worth tracking this summer for dynasty leagues.

Carr’s second game of the summer was even better than his first, with the first-round pick shooting 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. While the assists weren’t there, he committed just one turnover and had good command of the action throughout the Lakers’ 93-91 double-overtime victory. With the Lakers taking a drastically changed roster into the 2026-27 season, Carr’s wing scoring is likely to earn him early opportunities to contribute.

Carr, the Lakers’ 24th pick in the most recent NBA Draft, was the team’s best scorer on Friday. The bulk of his production came from beyond the arc, where he nearly converted half of his looks on double-digit attempts. He didn’t provide much else in terms of box score numbers. However, he could potentially grow into a role in the regular-season rotation if the level of shooting he displayed against Golden State is sustainable.

The Lakers will received Hardy and two future second-rounders in exchange for Deandre Ayton. The former second-round pick was sent to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis trade last season after spending the first few years of his career in Dallas. He can provide instant offense at times, but he likely won’t be a big part of the Lakers’ rotation next season.

The second-round picks are in 2031 and 2032. The Lakers recently acquired Walker Kessler to be the team’s starting center, and they’ll offload Ayton just a few days after he picked up his player option for next season. He’ll now likely be the backup center behind Alex Sarr, which eliminates most of the fantasy value that he had this past season. However, he should be one of the better backup bigs in the league and has streaming upside if the Wizards face an injury in the frontcourt to either Sarr or Anthony Davis.

One day removed from informing the Lakers of his decision to move on, James has received interest from multiple teams in free agency. Golden State, Cleveland and Miami have been mentioned in various reports, and now Philadelphia has reportedly thrown its hat into the ring. The 76ers made a major move on Wednesday, acquiring Jaylen Brown from the Celtics for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. On paper, Philadelphia’s current roster has the look of a contender in the East, even without James. Adding LeBron to the mix would round out their starting lineup, pushing Dominick Barlow to the bench after he started for most of the 2025-26 campaign.

Sexton, 27, is a career 18.3 points per game scorer. After a rough start to last season with the Hornets where he averaged 14.2 points, he was back up to averaging 17.5 points with the Bulls after a midseason trade. Sexton fits into the Lakers room mid-level exception as the team has exhausted its spending power early in the offseason with a flurry of moves that saw them land Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes as well. Sexton’s fantasy value hasn’t changed much with him joining a Lakers team with a crowded backcourt.

Grimes turned 26 in May. A five-year NBA veteran, the former first-round pick by the Clippers in the 2021 NBA Draft has been traded four times in his career including on draft night. Grimes spent last season with the 76ers, appearing in 75 games and starting 19 of them. He averaged 13.4 points. Grimes fits the Lakers as an aggressive scorer off the bench.