On the eve of free agency, the rumors have not slowed down. The Lakers are remaining active, most notably setting up a call with restricted free agent Jalen Duren once free agency starts on Tuesday.
However, that certainly isn’t the only pot on the stove for the Lakers, who have been busy in the hours and days leading up to free agency.
Here’s the latest rumors involving the Lakers before things really heat up on Tuesday.
Meeting with Walker Kessler
Duren isn’t the only restricted free agent center the Lakers have their eyes on.
The team remains linked to Walker Kessler, including a likely meeting with the big man on Tuesday.
On Monday night, NBA beat writer Jake Fischer reported that the purple and gold are believed to be one of three meetings Kessler has scheduled for Tuesday.
Utah restricted free agent center Walker Kessler has meetings lined up with three teams Tuesday night after 6 PM ET at the Los Angeles offices of his CAA representatives.
The Lakers, of course, are strongly believed to be one of those three teams given their considerable interest in trying to swipe Kessler from the Jazz.
Similar to Duren and the Pistons, Kessler and the Jazz are at odds heading into free agency. Unlike Detroit, though, Utah has a whole bunch of other center options, which could make them more open to the idea of moving on from Kessler.
The Lakers have an extremely long history of targeting Kessler and could finally make good on that interest this summer.
A new backup big man target
A complete new name has emerged leading up to free agency as a potential back-up big man option in Sandro Mamukelashvili, or Mamu, for short.
The big man opted out of his $2.8 million contract next season and is set for quite a bit more this year with the Lakers as one of the suitors for him in free agency.
Dan Woike of The Athletic first reported the interest in Mamu late on Tuesday.
But people around the NBA, tasked with trying to make sense of the evolving free-agency landscape, started to link the Lakers to a wide range of players throughout Monday. One name has come up from multiple league sources: Toronto forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Minutes later, Fischer backed up that reporting with some of his own, connecting the Lakers to Mamu.
Sources say Mamukelashvili is likely to generate multiple offers north of $10 million in average annual value after declining a paltry player option in Toronto worth less than $3 million. And we’re told that the Lakers, who have obviously been connected to various big men, have emerged as a notable Mamu suitor.
Mamu had a breakout season with the Raptors last year, averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 52.3% from the field and 38.9% from three on 3.7 attempts per game. For his career, Mamu is a 36.6% shooter from range, but has been north of 37% in each of his last two seasons.
As a stretch big, Mamu would offer a different look for the Lakers than a lob-catching center. He would also not come at a cheap price and would not be a starter, which could throw off the Lakers depending on how quickly they can fill their hole in the starting lineup at center.
Gambling on a young wing?
The Lakers have loved trying to find a reclamation project under President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka. From Malik Monk to Lonnie Walker to Cam Reddish, LA has targeted a wing whose value is low and tried to hit on them.
The next version of that could be Nets wing Ziaire Williams. The Nets declined his team option for next season, setting him up for unrestricted free agency. According to Woike, he could be someone the team goes after as a buy-low candidate.
According to a league source, one player the Lakers could take a look at in free agency is Brooklyn small forward Zaire Williams, who had his team option declined by the Nets on Sunday. The Lakers have desires to get younger and more athletic on the wing, and Williams is coming off back-to-back seasons in Brooklyn where he averaged more than 10 points and shot better than 34 percent from 3-point range.
Last season, Williams averaged 10.2 points and shot 34.3% from beyond the arc. He’s only a 42.5% shooter overall, but did grab 4.6 rebounds per game in 2024-25.
Interestingly, he was also a teammate with Bronny James at Sierra Canyon, adding another connection to the Lakers.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
