3 LA Lakers Who Won't Be Back in 2026-27

The LA Lakers met the OKC Express in the second round, and were flattened by the defending NBA champion Thunder in four straight games. Now it's time to regroup and figure out what the future of the Lakers holds for next season.

Obviously, it will help having Luka Doncic back at full health. But there are a lot of big questions surrounding the team. With that, we take a look at three Lakers who won't be back in La La Land next season.

LeBron James still contemplating retirement, or a move out of LA

LeBron James

“With my future, I don’t know. Honestly,” James said after the Lakers were eliminated. “It’s obviously still fresh from losing. And I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds for me …"

LeBron, 41, just completed his 23rd season in the NBA. Dan Woike of The Athletic says anything could happen with his future. "League sources continue to say James is sincerely unsure about whether he wants to continue playing."

Whether it's retirement, a return to Cleveland, or perhaps teaming up with Steph Curry in Golden State, it's quite possible that James has played his final game with the Lakers.

Deandre Ayton

With constant questions about his consistency (or lack of it) and determination (again, or lack of it), Ayton faced the ire of his coach on more than one occasion this season.

Interspersing flashes of dominant play with his trademark low-engagement, frustrating performances, he was left with career low numbers of 12.6 points per game and 8.3 rebounds this season. Ayton has a player-option of $8M for 2026-27, but he feels like he was underpaid, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him opt out and search for greener pastures (and greener cash) elsewhere.

Dalton Knecht

Heck, they already tried trading him once before, at the trade deadline during his rookie year last season. This year wasn't much more pleasurable for Knecht in LA, as the 25-year-old saw his minutes and his production slashed in half from last year. The Lakers already picked up his option for $4.2 million for next season, but it's almost certain that a trade will be worked out to find him another opportunity with another team.