The Los Angeles Lakers announced they have officially signed forward Jake LaRavia to a two-year contract. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it is reported to be for around $12 million with no options.
The Lakers have made a few additions to their roster during the NBA offseason, with the storied franchise aiming to add more talent around superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James ahead of the 2025-26 season in hopes of contending in a stacked Western Conference headlined by the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.
LaRavia, formerly of the division rival Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, was the first player the team reached out to when NBA free agency began this summer. LaVavia was selected out of Wake Forest by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The draft rights to LaRavia were later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he spent the last two and a half seasons before being dealt to the Kings in a three-team deal last season.
In 19 games with the Kings and 47 games with the Grizzlies during the 2024-25 campaign, LaRavia averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He shot 47.5% from the field and 42.3% from beyond the arc.
“Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system,” Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka said. “He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all three levels and has a knack for creating space for himself and his teammates. Being just 23 years old, we think Jake has significant basketball upside, which will be honed nicely in our Lakers basketball development program.”
The addition of LaRavia adds some depth to the roster, which will be much needed after Dorian Finney-Smith opted out of his deal with Los Angeles and signed with the Rockets.
It’ll be interesting to see how LaRavia fits in Los Angeles and whether he’ll play a significant role on the squad next season. The Lakers also added veteran center Deandre Ayton to the roster and re-signed center Jaxson Hayes to address a glaring need in the frontcourt.
Austin Reaves helped recruit Jake LaRavia to the Lakers
The Lakers had Jake LaRavia in their crosshairs well ahead of the start of NBA free agency. One of the main reasons for this was Austin Reaves recruiting LaRavia to Los Angeles, as he has the same agent.
LaRavia appears to be quite happy with his decision to sign with the Lakers, as he took to social media to share how excited he is about wearing the purple and gold moving forward.
The Lakers will be the third team he’s played for during his NBA career. He was initially drafted by the Timberwolves and had his draft rights traded to the Grizzlies. He landed with the Kings ahead of the NBA trade deadline last season, playing only 19 games with the franchise.
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