The Lakers first signing of free agency is inking a deal with forward Jake LaRavia.
The Lakers have made their first free agent signing of the offseason.
Los Angeles has reportedly agreed to terms with Jake LaRavia, as first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. The contract is a two-year $12 million deal.
Free agent forward Jake LaRavia has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. LaRavia had a strong finish after joining the Sacramento Kings last season. pic.twitter.com/hXw9E1PzZV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
The Lakers get their top wing target with Dorian Finney-Smith off the board – Jake LaRavia, sources confirm.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 30, 2025
Aaron Reilly of AMR Agency is the agent for both Austin Reaves and LaRavia and, during an appearance on the “Front Office Show” this offseason, Reaves was in the car driving LaRavia as they laughed and joked about what his decision would be during free agency.
The two have also worked out together this offseason, too.
On the Front Office Show, @KeithSmithNBA and I just did a nearly 30 min interview with Kings forward Jake LaRavia. We had no idea who was driving the car. This is the end of that interview… pic.twitter.com/LbeELc9Ak4
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) June 19, 2025
The departure of Dorian Finney-Smith opened up both the mid-level exception and bi-annual exception for the Lakers. This deal is likely set to take a portion of the mid-level exception.
Two years, $12 million for Jake LaRavia would be slightly above the taxpayer portion (two years, $11.7 million) of the mid-level exception.
This would officially hard cap the Lakers to the $195.9 million first apron.
Bi-annual is two years, $10.5 million, which also hard caps. https://t.co/aHBkoywapu
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 30, 2025
With DFS reportedly heading to the Rockets, the 23-year-old LaRavia will come in and provide the Lakers with some wing depth.
LaRavia spent the last season with the Kings, averaging 6.1 points, 2.8 and 1.3 assists in Sacramento. He has been in the league for three seasons and still has upside as a young player.
While LaRavia is not as polished a DFS, he does provide defensive resistance and is on a much smaller contract in terms of the dollar amount and years.
If he maxes out his potential here in L.A., it could be a great deal where LaRavia easily outplays his contract.
Considering the Lakers’ tight financial situation, these are the kind of players they hope will be overachievers who will help push them closer to title contention.
Think people are WAY underrating LaRavia on defense. I get that he is a bigger white dude that people think can’t move, but he’s actually pretty solid. Versatile, plays with a ton of effort, rotates really well, moves his feet reasonably well. https://t.co/M4bSg3rbAY
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) June 30, 2025
His 3-point shooting is an area where he has shown flashes of promise. LaRavia was shooting 44% from deep at the start of the season with Memphis before he was traded to Sacramento.
He had one of his better games this season as a Grizzly, scoring 13 points on 6-11 shooting while dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds against the Lakers during a Nov. 6 Memphis win.
During his 19 games with the Kings this season he was still an effective shooter, averaging 38% from three while playing 19.3 minutes per game.
Perhaps a stint with the Lakers could unlock his full potential playing with stars like LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
Prior to his brief stint with the Kings, he played for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.