Lakers Reportedly Prioritizing Two Free Agents as Crucial Luka Doncic Plan Takes Shape

The Los Angeles Lakers and their revamped front office have a lot of work to do this summer, with more than half of the team’s current roster either set to become free agents or having the opportunity to do so.

The goal for the storied franchise moving forward is to build around superstar Luka Doncic, which will be no easy task, considering the lack of options to upgrade the roster in free agency and how difficult it’ll likely be to make game-changing trades.

Lakers Prioritizing Bringing Back Rui Hachimura & Jaxson Hayes

However, the Lakers do have some important players hitting the free agent market that they appear to be prioritizing, namely, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

The belief is that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes are players the Lakers would prioritize bringing back as they try to best fit a roster around Dončić. And each piece of the puzzle the Lakers feel they need to add into their cap space takes up a slice that could go to James.

Both Hayes and Hachimura will be unrestricted free agents, joining teammates LeBron James, Luke Kennard and Maxi Kleber. 

Even though there hasn’t been much buzz about Hachimura and what he plans to do once officially a free agent after another solid season with the Lakers, the veteran forward has played well alongside Doncic as a reliable outside shooter and a player who can create his own shot and adjust to any role asked of him, as he did during the 2025-26 campaign, bouncing back and forth between starter and bench player.

Hachimura put on a show with his red-hot three-point shooting during the regular season, then carried that over into the NBA playoffs. The 28-year-old shot a franchise record 44.3 percent from deep during the regular-season campaign and then had the highest three-point percentage in league history during the postseason at 50.7. 

The Japanese product proved his worth while also making a strong case to be re-signed by the Lakers or land a lucrative deal elsewhere as a free agent.

As for Hayes, the veteran center had his role shift to the bench this past season due to the arrival of former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. 

Despite only starting nine games, Hayes actually improved his numbers, averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-best 75.6 percent from the field.

The 26-year-old also built some on-court chemistry with Doncic while also becoming a Slovenian citizen to play alongside his superstar teammate on the national team, which shows the kind of relationship he’s got with the league’s leading scorer.

Uncertainty Looms for Other Lakers Free Agents

Although Hachimura and Hayes seem to be in the team’s good graces, and Austin Reaves is more than likely on the verge of signing a lucrative long-term deal with the team, the rest of the team’s free agents seem to have uncertain futures.

There’s still no telling what James intends to do, with the clock ticking on that decision, as the Lakers will likely want to know ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23. Kennard’s future is also up in the air, even though he excelled during his short time with the team after getting moved to Los Angeles by the Atlanta Hawks before the NBA trade deadline in February.

As Kleber, he may have played his last game in a Lakers uniform, as he has rarely seen the floor since being traded to the Lakers in the Doncic deal in 2025. 

Only time will tell how things pan out for the Lakers in free agency, but nothing seems to be set in stone, even if Reaves, Hachimura and Hayes may be the preferred players to return next season.

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