American News: In addition to James, the Lakers have 44 million contracts expired, and they will be very busy next year s deadline

Recently, ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel wrote an article about the Lakers' operations during the offseason.

He wrote: "After signing Marcus Smart, the Lakers do seem to have confirmed the 2025-2026 roster. With 14 of the team's 15 roster spots already determined, the Lakers are currently about $1 million away from the No. 1 luxury tax line. From a hypothetical point of view, the Lakers are still likely to look for a veteran in the free agent market, such as Brogdon or Payton."

"However, after Smart signed with the Lakers, why would any of these two players want to join the Lakers? Not to mention, the team also needs to trade a contract to have enough operational flexibility if the total salary is already near the luxury tax line. "

" This seems to be the Lakers' roster that they've come to the training camp, and they've solved key needs this offseason - finding a stable center and strengthening the depth of the forward 3D player. I fully expect Los Angeles to be very busy by the 2026 NBA trade deadline, because they have about $44 million in expiration contracts, which does not include LeBron James' contract."