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Luka's $49.8M Anchors a Payroll That Has No Room to Breathe

The Lakers sit just over the tax line, with the aprons ahead and almost no picks left to spend.

Luka Doncic$49.8M this season, $53.8M in 2027-28
By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Monday, October 19

Two days before the opener against the Warriors, the Lakers' payroll stands at $201.3 million, above the $200.4 million luxury tax line. The roster is built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and the books leave little room to fix it.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers
Luka Doncic. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Over the Line

The salary cap is $165.0 million. The Lakers are well past it and just beyond the tax line at $200.4 million. The first apron is $209.0 million and the second is $221.7 million. Those are the walls this front office is working between. Any trade that brings back more salary than it sends out has to be weighed against them. The top of the sheet is Doncic at $49.8 million, Reaves at $41.2 million and Walker Kessler at $30.2 million. Quentin Grimes ($14.0 million) and Sandro Mamukelashvili ($13.0 million) follow.

The Next Ledger

Next season the three big numbers grow: Doncic to $53.8 million, Reaves to $44.5 million and Kessler to $31.7 million. Jarred Vanderbilt holds a $13.3 million player option. Jaden Hardy ($6.0 million), Adou Thiero ($2.5 million) and Bronny James ($2.5 million) all carry team options. Jake LaRavia, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Kevon Looney do not appear on the 2027-28 sheet at all. Those four are the deals that come off, and they are mostly small ones. That is not much freedom for a club that wants to rebuild the supporting cast.

Mortgaged Futures

The pick cupboard is nearly bare. The 2027 first is protected to Memphis and the 2027 second is conditional to Brooklyn. The 2029 first belongs to Dallas and the 2029 second to Memphis. The 2030 second is owed to Brooklyn. The 2028 and 2030 firsts are swaps, so even those carry no clean value. Trade talk is already attached to this roster. Jake Fischer reported that the Lakers, Bucks and Grizzlies were exploring trades, and later added the Hornets, with no terms named. Silver Screen and Roll reported the Lakers are looking for a workable trade to send out Dalton Knecht, who earns $4.2 million, and acquire a center. Hoops Rumors carried a Shams Charania report that the Lakers are waiving him. With so little to offer in picks, salary matching and the apron lines will shape any deal.

Are the Lakers over the luxury tax in 2026-27?

Yes. Their payroll is $201.3 million against a tax line of $200.4 million. The first apron sits at $209.0 million.

Which Lakers contracts have options for 2027-28?

Jarred Vanderbilt has a $13.3 million player option. Jaden Hardy ($6.0 million), Adou Thiero ($2.5 million) and Bronny James ($2.5 million) have team options.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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