Los Angeles

Lakers

Finney-Smith dealt with a lingering ankle issue that he mostly played through down the stretch of the season. The 32-year-old small forward is expected to be able to participate in training camp after successful surgery. Finney-Smith holds a player option to return to the Lakers for $15,378,480. It’s possible that he declines the option and becomes a free agent.

While Reaves reached double figures in all five games of the series, his production shifted offensively after the first two games. According to Lane, the Lakers guard injured his toe during Game 3, impacting Reaves on both ends of the floor. In the first two games, 13 of Reaves’ 27 field goal attempts were three-pointers. In Games 3 through 5, 33 of his 46 attempts came from beyond the arc. He could not be as explosive as needed off the dribble, which factored into the Lakers dropping the series’ final three games. With the early elimination, Reaves will have ample time to recover ahead of the 2025-26 season.

James suffered the injury when collided with Donte DiVincenzo in the fourth quarter of the closeout Game 5. The recovery time for the injury is 3-5 weeks, but James will have no need to rush back to the court after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs. It’s unclear if he’ll return for a 23rd season, but if he does, he should be recovered from this latest injury prior to training camp.

The 40-year-old James said he had not given much thought to what the future might hold for him, which is unsurprising since he was focused on the task at hand. But it’s a question that will hover over the Lakers franchise throughout the offseason, especially after acquiring Luka Doncic in early February. “I don’t have an answer to that,” James said. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see.” James, who turns 41 on December 30, has a player option worth over $52.6 million for the 2025-26 season, and that may be reason enough to return for another run. Whatever he decides will significantly impact how the Lakers approach improving a roster that received little trust from head coach JJ Redick this postseason beyond starters James, Doncic, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, and veteran reserve Dorian Finney-Smith.

Just before halftime, Doncic exited with a back injury following a hard foul. He was able to return for the second half, though he was clearly moving gingerly at times. However, back pain wasn’t going to slow down Luka. He led both teams in scoring, with almost half of his points coming at the free throw line. That wasn’t enough to win, which brought his first season with the Lakers to a close. With a full offseason to get used to his new team, and roster moves to build this team around him, expect Doncic to be back to his typical dominant self next season.

James was awesome in Games 3 and 4, though Los Angeles wasn’t able to get a win in Minnesota. With their backs against the wall in Game 5, LeBron wasn’t able to replicate his two previous performances, and the Lakers’ season ended in the first round for a second straight season. Though there is no indication that James will retire as of now, he’ll be 41 for next season’s playoffs. He should be in for another strong year when he’s on the floor, but if the Lakers want to win a championship next season, they may prioritize rest for James more than ever during the 2025-26 season.

This was the second straight game that Hachimura finished with exactly 23 points and five triples. Unfortunately, it was also a second straight single-digit loss for the Lakers, which brought their season to an end. Hachimura improved his numbers and took on a larger role this season with JJ Redick taking over as the team’s head coach. There will certainly be roster changes for Los Angeles this summer, but if Hachimura is kept around, he’ll be a decent, low-upside option in fantasy next season.

Though it was a strong season overall for Reaves, his playoff series against Minnesota was one to forget. He averaged just 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and three triples while shooting 41.1 percent from the floor during the gentlemen’s sweep. Reaves was incredible after the All-Star break, which made his postseason so disappointing. Still, he’ll be an intriguing option entering drafts next season after finishing inside the top 50 in nine-cat leagues this season.

Kleber has been sidelined since before he was traded to the Lakers as part of the Luka Doncic deal, and this will be the first time he is available to suit up for Los Angeles. In a win-or-go-home game for them, it’s unclear how much head coach JJ Redick will lean on a new player that hasn’t played in three months.