This will be a pivotal summer for the Los Angeles Lakers, and while they may not have as much money to use on roster improvements as other teams, the organization will surely look to improve the roster that came just short of an NBA Finals trip in 2023.

The Los Angeles Lakers had a frustrating end to their season in May. After storming through the postseason — which included sending the defending champion Golden State Warriors home early — they ran right into the buzzsaw that was the Denver Nuggets.

While losing one round before the championship series falls short of the legendary franchise’s lofty goals, there were still many positives that came out of the Los Angeles Lakers 2022-2023 campaign.

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Darvin Ham very much seemed like the right choice as the new head coach. General manager Rob Pelinka proved his deal-making savviness by succeeding with several trade deadline deals, and the team’s coaching staff deserves serious credit for developing undrafted talent Austin Reaves into a legitimate impact player.

With superstars like Anthony Davis and Lebron James leading the way, the Los Angeles Lakers are not far off from winning the organization’s 17th title soon. That is why they need to be smart with their moves this summer because they do not have tons of money to burn, but they do have a solid amount to use.

Few players are guaranteed for the roster next season, so the team could have a worthwhile amount of cap space this summer, as Silver Screen and Roll explained earlier this year.

“The Lakers could still get to that $31 million figure if they simply did not extend or withdraw qualifying offers to [Rui Hachimura], [Austin Reaves], renounced [D’Angelo Russell] entirely, turned down [Malik Beasley’s] team option, and waived [Davon Reed] and [Mo Bamba’s] non-guaranteed deals. That also includes renouncing Dennis Schröder, Lonnie Walker IV, Wenyen Gabriel, and Troy Brown Jr.”

Assuming they have around $30 million in funds to use in NBA free agency, chances are they will not be able to afford Kyrie Irving for a long-rumored reunion with James. Meaning the below players are realistic options for them on the open market this summer.