2023 Lakers Free Agency Rumors Tracker: Updates on every player they’ve been linked to

The 2023 NBA free agency moratorium, when teams can begin negotiating with players, officially opens on Friday, June 30 at 3 p.m. PT. But while that date marks the official beginning of free agency, rumors have long since started to trickle out (although, obviously, no teams in the NBA have tampered, of course). And, as is the case every year, the Lakers are in the middle of a ton of said whispers.

In keeping with a yearly tradition at this blog, we will be keeping an updating list of every player the Lakers have been connected to during and ahead of free agency, with this story being refreshed with as many reputable reports as possible in real-time.

So for those of you that don’t scroll Twitter endlessly — and even for those that do — bookmark this page to stay informed on all the latest scuttlebutt about who the Lakers will sign, who they won’t, and every bit of information in between.

Players the Lakers have signed

• D’Angelo Russell — Bird Rights signing: two years, $37 million with a player option in year two
• Austin Reaves — Bird Rights signing: four years, $56 million
• Taurean Prince (formerly Minnesota Timberwolves) — likely bi-annual exception signing: one year, $4.5 million
• Gabe Vincent (formerly Miami Heat) — likely mid-level exception signing: three years, $33 million
• Rui Hachimura — Bird Rights signing: three years, $51 million
• Cam Reddish — veteran’s minimum signing: two years, $4.6 million
• Jaxson Hayes — veteran’s minimum signing: two years, $4.6 million
• Jarred Vanderbilt — had 2023-24 contract option for $4.6 million guaranteed

Lakers who are departing in free agency

• Troy Brown Jr. (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Dennis Schröder (Toronto Raptors)
• Lonnie Walker IV (Brooklyn Nets)
• Malik Beasley (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Mo Bamba (Philadelphia 76ers)

Available players connected to the Lakers

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bismack Biyombo

• According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Bismack Biyombo is one of a few center options the Lakers are considering for their final free agency addition.

Christian Wood

• Buha also reported that Christian Wood is someone the Lakers are considering for that spot.

Lakers own free agents

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Tristan Thompson

• Update, July 1 — Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that Tristan Thompson is among the potential options for the Lakers as a third center.

Players the Lakers were linked to who signed elsewhere

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Eric Gordon

• Gordon ultimately signed with the Phoenix Suns after the Lakers used their mid-level exception elsewhere.
• Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports that Eric Gordon was a “prime target” for the mid-level exception from his former agent and now Lakers GM, Rob Pelinka. The Lakers have since used that exception.
• Both NBA insider Marc Stein and Kelly Iko of The Athletic had previously reported that the Lakers are interested in Eric Gordon, who was cut by the Clippers on June 28 before his $21 million salary became guaranteed for next season.

Brook Lopez

• Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported the day before free agency that Lopez would be a target for the Lakers with their mid-level exception, but he is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a two-year, $48 million deal.

Bruce Brown

• Post free agency update, June 30 — Brown is signing a two-year, $45 million deal with the Pacers, according to ESPN, a far richer contract than the Lakers could offer.
• Update 1, June 30 — Ian Begley of SNY reports that in addition to the Lakers, Brown will also meet with the “Knicks, Rockets, Pacers and Mavericks at the start of free agency.” Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times added that chatter is growing around the league that Brown will get a lot more than the MLE in free agency.
• Update 2, June 30 — In possibly related news, the Pacers dumped salary in exchange for a draft pick on Friday morning, and veteran NBA insider Marc Stein wrote that Indiana is “at the forefront of the pursuit” of Brown. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports wrote that “there’s been plenty of word in recent days that the Indiana Pacers could be the team that slaps a lucrative deal worth over $20 million annually for Brown.”
• Anthony Irwin of Substack and Mike Singer of The Denver Post both reported on Wednesday, June 28 that the Lakers have real interest in Nuggets wing Bruce Brown.
• The next morning, Jovan Buha of The Athletic added that the team is “increasingly confident” they can sign him. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype added that Brown is “a primary target” for Los Angeles.
• Stein wrote that other teams expect Brown to get offered more than the mid-level exception that the Lakers can give him, however.

Cory Joseph

• Joseph was linked to the Lakers in a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who wrote that he was among the potential backup point guard options for the Lakers.
• However, Joseph will reportedly sign with the Golden State Warriors instead.

Seth Curry

• The only link Seth Curry received to the Lakers is Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, who wrote that he was among players who “could” be targets for Los Angeles, but he ultimately will sign a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Kyrie Irving

• Despite the Lakers’ long-rumored lack of interest, they were reportedly slated to meet with Kyrie Irving when free agency opens up.
• However, it appears those meetings were quick, as Irving returned to the Mavericks less than an hour into free agency.

Jevon Carter

• Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that Carter was expected to “draw interest from Minnesota, Phoenix and Los Angeles” when free agency opened up, but he ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Georges Niang

• Niang was a possible target for the Lakers, but he instead signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joe Ingles

• After being mentioned as a potential Lakers target, Ingles instead got two years and $22 million from the Orlando Magic.

Yuta Watanabe

• Watanabe was another name loosely connected to the Lakers, but he instead opted to sign a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns.

Shake Milton

• Milton was another name mentioned by Fischer in his final pre-agency dispatch for Yahoo, writing that both the Lakers and Warriors have interest in him, but he ultimately headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Trey Lyles

• Lyles was another player only tangentially theorized as a Laker target, but he signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Kings.

Bookmark this page to stay updated on the latest throughout NBA free agency. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.