Well, it's official. LeBron James' eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers will come to an end and he'll hit free agency per ESPN's Shams Charania. LeBron decided he didn't want to return for 2026-27, and now the Lakers have a huge hole to fill at the wing position. The Lakers were already on the clock to start building around star Luka Doncic, but this news just makes their already obvious pursuit of Peyton Watson to be a part of that process, and a possibly bigger issue to re-sign for the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers already coveted Watson a lot before, and were expected to be one of the strongest suitors for Watson this offseason. But that was before they had a generational hole to fill at wing left by the departure of James. And the rumors have been grumbling that Watson could see a rather large payday, perhaps one that's north of $30 million per year by some estimates.
And at that number, it becomes a real big question of whether or not the Nuggets should take the risk on a player who had one real hot month last season.
The Lakers have the cap space, and deep pockets
The Lakers have a bunch of cap space available, and they've got an owner who has really deep pockets who has shown he isn't afraid to spend whatever it takes to win a championship with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Why would that change with the Lakers? He just tossed Austin Reaves a max contract extension, and the Lakers still have approximately $71.2 million in space left before they run into the luxury tax for next season.
If there was ever a spot that Watson was going to get an overpay offer, it would be here with the Lakers in this spot now. They're perfectly set up to take the risk, and even if it doesn't pan out to the best of expectations, the Lakers will have shown Luka that they are making the effort to build and keep him happy to stay with the Lakers.
Win-win for the Lakers. Tough loss for the Nuggets. But it's a reality that's one step closer for the Nuggets now after this LeBron bombshell update from Shams as the free agency window is about to open. It probably won't be the last.
The Nuggets have already made one surprising decision in declining Jalen Pickett's cap-friendly team-option. They now start their search for a backup point guard, and the Lakers start their search for a starting wing.
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