NBA Free Agency Showdown: Will the Lakers or Clippers Make the Blockbuster Move That Changes Everything?

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Read more: 2025 NBA draft: Clippers select Penn State center Yanic Konan NiederhauserThe Lakers were able to add an athletic wing player when they acquired Adou Thiero in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who picked him with the 36th pick of the second round.Turner, who made .9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about .65 million to spend.

Turner, who made .9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about .65 million to spend.

Turner, who made .9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about .65 million to spend.

Turner, who made .9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about .65 million to spend.

AdvertisementThe Lakers and Clippers have just wrapped up their business at the NBA’s intense two-day draft marathon, and now, the real chess game begins—crafting rosters that can contend for the upcoming season. Big decisions loom this weekend: LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith will soon decide whether to stick with the Lakers or explore other paths, while James Harden faces the same crossroad with the Clippers. As the NBA free agency window swings open Monday, these moves set the stage for what’s next in L.A. hoops. Rob Pelinka and Lawrence Frank are already strategizing hard, aiming to nail their rosters before the madness of free agency takes hold. The ticking clock and hefty player options underscore just how pivotal these next days will be for both franchises striving to strike gold. LEARN MOREThe most pressing need for the Lakers remains a center, and they’ll have to look into free agency or via trade to acquire one.AdvertisementFree agency begins Monday at 3 p.m. PDT, but players can’t sign contracts until July 6.Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhausher of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”“At that point, we’ll know the tools we have to go out into free agency and fill out the roster with the draft ending tonight,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told Spectrum SportsNet after the second round of the draft Thursday. “The work for that has already begun, but the focus now will turn from draft focus to free agency and we won’t rest until we get it right.”Advertisement