It has been a chaotic last 24 hours for the Los Angeles Lakers. It all started with the Purple & Gold’s franchise player signing his massive $52.6 million However, as soon as the 40-year-old veteran announced he’s returning for a 23rd season, instead of the speculation around his future coming to an end, they started to run rampant. This came after his agent said that they’ll assess the Lakers’ moves during the offseason.
However, if this wasn’t enough, their other veteran star, Dorian Finney-Smith, did not follow in LeBron’s footsteps and declined his $15.4 player option for the next season. Despite having a great time in Southern California and his ties with the players and coaches, the 32-year-old will now check free agency waters. This has further added immense pressure on the LA front office to look for a replacement for the former Nets star.
Sources from three different rival teams have linked the Lakers to De’Anthony Melton here as we near the official start of free agency. Expectation is that there’s strong mutual interest.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 30, 2025
Their answer? Well, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, DFS’s replacement might be on the way. “Sources from three different rival teams have linked the Lakers to De’Anthony Melton here as we near the official start of free agency. Expectation is that there’s strong mutual interest,” he wrote on X. Yes, the former Warriors forward De’Anthony Melton is on LA’s radar as they hope to land Finney-Smith’s replacement, with him looking Houston-bound.
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