The Los Angeles Lakers entered the Western Conference playoffs as the third seed. Despite matching up with a Minnesota Timberwolves team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season, most were predicting the Lakers to move on.
That’s not what happened. On Wednesday, LA was eliminated from the opening round of the playoffs in five games. They now turn to the offseason. The Lakers have a few key free agents that they will have to decide if they want to keep or move on from.
Stay Or Go? Predicting What Happens With Lakers Free Agents
Dorian Finney-Smith (Player Option) – Stay
Turning 32 years old on May 4, Dorian Finney-Smith has a player option for around $15.38 million for 2025-26. Expect him to decline, and attempt to re-sign with the Lakers on a multi-year deal. It became evident in the playoffs that was Finney-Smith was one of the few players outside of the stars that head coach JJ Redick could trust to play.
Joining the Lakers in late December via trade, Finney-Smith started nearly half (20 of 43) of his outings with LA in the regular season. The 6-foot-7 forward connected on 39.8% of his three-point tries with the team and averaged 7.9 points.
Jordan Goodwin (Team Option) – Stay
For a team that lacked many reliable bench pieces, Jordan Goodwin was a huge help towards the end of the season. The 26-year-old was signed to a two-way contract in February before being converted to a standard deal in late March. LA has a deadline of June 29 to decide whether to pick up his club option of $2.35 million (becomes fully guaranteed on 1/10/26) or let him enter free agency. Expect the Lakers to bring him back on that very reasonable salary.
In 29 regular season games for LA, the 6-foot-3 guard posted averages of 5.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. After appearing in each of the Lakers first four postseason outings, Goodwin did not play in Game 5.
Jaxson Hayes – Leave
Yes, Jaxson Hayes became the Lakers full-time starting center in February after the team dealt Anthony Davis. It was clear that LA wanted to upgrade though after trading for Mark Williams, a deal that was rescinded due to a failed physical from Williams. Thus, Hayes remained in the role.
Turning 25 years old on May 23, Hayes averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds this season. The 7-footer started the first four games against Minnesota, but played just a combined 30 minutes. He didn’t leave the bench in Game 5 when the team was eliminated from playoff basketball.
LeBron James (Player Option) – Stay
Now 40 years old, LeBron James has a player option for around $52.63 million for 2025-26. Expect him to decline the option but sign a new deal to remain with Los Angeles. He has spent each of the last seven seasons donning the purple and gold of the Lakers.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is still rather productive despite his (very) advanced age. It is widely expected that James will earn a spot on an All-NBA team for the 21st straight year. A full year of him and Luka Doncic together may unlock more chemistry and potentially more team success at the end of the season.
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