Lakers Free Agent Rumors Tracker

When NBA free agency begins on Nov. 20 — and probably even before — Lakers free agent rumors are going to be flying fast and loose as the team is connected to tons of players as they rush to bolster their roster for a 2020 title defense.

Some of those rumors will prove true, and some of them will prove false, but we’ll be continuing our annual tradition of trying to track the most reputable ones here at Silver Screen and Roll in an attempt to cut through the noise and see who the team should realistically be expected to sign with the cap space they have available.

We will be keeping track of all the rumors we write about in chronological order at this page, but below we will sort them by name, as well as adding some other information and context that didn’t necessarily warrant a full post. For a list of all the players linked to the Lakers in trade rumors, check out this page.

Now, without further ado, let’s get into the latest:

Anthony Davis

• Davis publicly stated he didn’t know what he was going to do in free agency, but it was always clear that he would opt-out of his current contract before re-signing with the Lakers.
• After he and his agent Rich Paul met with the Lakers this week, Davis is re-signing on a five-year, $190 million maximum contract to stay a Laker for a long time.
• Most NBA executives expected Davis to re-sign on a two-year deal.

Pau Gasol

• Pau’s brother Marc says Pau would “love” to finish his career with the Lakers, a day after Pau made the rare move of posting a video of himself working out. Pau has previously said he’d appreciate a farewell tour with the purple and gold, and we know the Lakers are looking for one more center to avoid overtaxing Anthony Davis.
• LeBron James seems open to the idea, too.

Jared Dudley

• Dudley said he’d do whatever it took to return to the Lakers in free agency, even if it meant going and begging for a spot on general manager Rob Pelinka’s lawn, and was confident the team will have him back. And after reports that both sides had “mutual interest” in a reunion, Dudley got his wish, as he’s officially been brought back to the team.

Kostas Antetokounmpo

• The Lakers brought Giannis’ brother back for a second straight year. The devil works hard, but Rob Pelinka works harder.

Matthew Dellavedova

• The Lakers looked at Delly before he re-signed with the Cavaliers, showing they may still want one more point guard.

Marc Gasol

• After the departure of Dwight Howard, Gasol quickly became a target for the Lakers, who shortly became a “serious suitor” for his services. The Lakers are signing him to a two-year deal after trading JaVale McGee to make room for him, a contract they made official on Tuesday.

Markieff Morris

• Morris switched agents ahead of free agency, making his intentions even harder to judge than before, but the Lakers always made it clear they wanted to re-sign him, and Morris wanted to come back. That’s why he’s rebuffed interest from the Clippers and will return on a minimum deal. The Lakers confirmed the signing on Monday.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

• Caldwell-Pope opted out of his deal, as expected. And while he was expected to have multiple suitors in free agency — including the Knicks — he has returned to the Lakers on a three-year, $40 million deal. The team made it official on Sunday.

Wesley Matthews

• After trading Danny Green, the Lakers were expected to pursue Matthews in free agency, and within an hour of the period opening, they agreed to terms with him on a one-year, $3.6 million deal. The Lakers officially confirmed the signing on Sunday.

Montrezl Harrell

• In a completely unexpected move, the Lakers signed Harrell on the first night of free agency. They made the move official on Sunday.

Kyle Kuzma

• Kuzma is not a free agent, but he’s eligible for an extension and is reportedly seeking a “sizable” one. His name has been floated in trade rumors, but the Lakers are taking the calls while remaining “open” to signing him to a new deal. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka says that dialogue hasn’t begun yet, though.

Glenn Robinson III

• The Lakers were reportedly one of several teams with interest in Robinson, and were expected to be one of his final suitors, but he instead signed with the Kings.

Avery Bradley

• Bradley declined his $5 million player option with the Lakers to leave for the Miami Heat in free agency.

Rajon Rondo

• Rondo announced on Instagram that he’s leaving the Lakers, but didn’t say for where.
• The Clippers want to sign Rajon Rondo, who opted out of the second year of his current deal. Part of the reason the Lakers traded for Dennis Schroder is reportedly because they expect Rondo to leave.
• The Atlanta Hawks are expected to give Rondo a big offer in free agency, but Rondo is reportedly more interested in being a Clipper.

Danilo Gallinari

• Gallinari said he was more interested in winning a title than getting paid, and if that wasn’t enough to get the speculation going, he also posted a congratulatory message to the Lakers right after they won the title, something that is definitely not the norm for a free agent, and led to speculation about him joining the Lakers
• However, Gallinari instead opted to sign with the Hawks.

Dwight Howard

• The Lakers reportedly had interest in keeping Howard, and he originally said he’d “love” to come back, but also expected to get paid. And after free agency opened, he tweeted that he’d stay with the Lakers before leaving for the Sixers.

Serge Ibaka

• Opposing general managers expected the Lakers to target Ibaka in free agency, but he will instead be heading to the L.A. Clippers after the Lakers used up most of their spending room elsewhere.

Tristan Thompson

• The Lakers were reportedly interested in signing Thompson, but he is heading to the Boston Celtics.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

• Bogdanovic’s reported sign-and-trade to the Bucks fell apart in embarrassing fashion, and the Lakers were expected to show interest in him, but after they re-signed Caldwell-Pope they took themselves out of the bidding, and Bogdanovic ultimately went to the Hawks.

This story will update with new information as it trickles out. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.