This offseason is setting up to be an extremely important one for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they are set to have ample salary cap space to make moves in free agency, while also having access to multiple first-round draft picks should they want to include them in a trade.
But the amount of salary cap space they and the rest of the NBA will have is reportedly going to be slightly less than initially expected. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the NBA has informed teams that they are projecting to have a $165 million salary cap for the 2026-27 season, $1 million less than previously expected:
The NBA has informed teams that the league is projecting a $165 million salary cap for 2026-27 — $1M lower than previous outlooks due to a reduction in local media revenue, sources tell ESPN. Minimum salary $149M, tax level $201M, first apron $209M, second apron $222M also $1M…
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 23, 2026
The NBA’s salary cap is based on the amount of revenue the league brings in. So if local media revenue is less than expected, it would cause the salary to go down. While not a significant difference, it does still affect what teams can spend, as well as the amount players can sign for as max contracts are a percentage of the cap itself.
This ultimately should have little effect on the Lakers plans this offseason as they will still have plenty of cap room to make some moves. Some will undoubtedly go to re-signing some of their own free agents, most notably Austin Reaves who will opt-out of his deal, but Rui Hachimura is also a free agent and starters Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton both have player options and could hit the open market. And of course there is LeBron James who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason as well.
A slightly lower salary cap will affect how much the Lakers can give to players this summer, but the franchise’s plans to make a splash in the offseason are still in full effect.
NBA Board of Governors approves potential expansion
There could be two new NBA teams in the near future as the NBA Board of Governors voted to approve the exploration of expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle with bidding for the two teams expected to reach the $7-10 billion range.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
