‘LAKERS-CLIPPERS…DECISIONS COMING…CHANGES COMING’

by | Jun 17, 2026 |

Things are about to change for the Lakers and Clippers, both on the outside looking in, and the inside looking out. By July 1st these teams could look very different.

The changes could be mandated by the NBA (Clippers) and most likely will be steered by the team’s star players (Lakers).

Hold on, for they can be earth shattering, what could happen between now and July 1st.

LAKERS:  They must deal with the two headed monster that is LeBron James and Austin Reaves.  James’ contract has expired, and he will not get 52M-next year, not in LA, and not from anyone else.  The likely offer out there might be a mid-level exception deal worth (30M).  The Lakers want to retain him, at that price.  Does he want to stay in LA at that figure?  Does he go back to the Lakers say say ‘trade me’ to a team I want to go to (Warriors-Cavs-Heat)?  Or does he decline all offers, and go out on the open market to do a multi year deal at a creative price?  Ten teams have contacted James’ camp about interest in chatting if he elects to exit LA.

LAKERS:  Then there is Austin Reaves’ decision.  He has already decided to opt out of the final year of his contract, thereby opening the window for him to get a max contract.  But that is the big issue.  A max contract for the Lakers is worth (48M) per year on a 5-year deal.  If he goes outside, he can get a (44M) max deal covering 4-years.  The issue is the Lakers do not want to pay Reaves the (48M) max.  What they want is to keep LeBron and Reaves, at more reasonable salaries, and use the available money to go get another free agent, a fourth key part, to be put on the floor with Luka Doncic, the King and AR.  Can it be done?

CLIPPERS:  Their issues amount to both on and off floor.  What happens in the Salary Cap Circumvention probe involving the allegations of (48M) illegal endorsement payments to Kawhi Leonard, aside from his contract.  The NBA legal firm has completed the interviews, and will forward them to Commissioner Adam Silver.  The unknown at this hour…did the Clippers sanction these payments by investing in the company Aspiration, which went bankrupt?  Or did Leonard and his uncle Dennis Robertson create these demands as side deals, knowing they were illegal?  Then we get to the penalty phase if the NBA probe finds all this dirt.  Will they void Kawhi’s (50M) contract, ban him from playing for the Clippers, suspend him, or put him on the street as an aging free agent?  If the blame is on the Clippers, do they strip them of this year’s 5th pick in the first round, future first round picks, and fine them massive money?  So the Clippers off season revolves around Kawhi to start.

CLIPPERS:  But if nothing gets done, what happens with the roster?  The latest roster rumors as of Tuesday, have the Clippers becoming part of a big 3-way trade with Milwuakee and Boston, as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.  The rumor has Giannis going to Boston; the Clippers getting G-Jaylen Brown; and the Bucks winding up with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers 5th pick, a Boston #1 and C-Neemius Queta.  The hours are ticking off the clock for a Giannis trade leading into the draft.  Miami and Minnesota are also mentioned in possible deals.  A Clippers trade of this dimension-gives them huge cap space, but creates a massive hole on their front line.

So we wait to see what King James wants to do with the Lakers and what they do with Reaves.  And what Adam Silver knows and does in the aftermath of the Salary Cap-Clippers-Kawhi probe.

Stay Tuned !

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