Lakers could reunite LeBron James with former championship teammate in free agency
Lakers could reunite LeBron James with former championship teammate in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to former LeBron James championship teammate Kevin Love.
NBA insider Marc Spears appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today and revealed that the Lakers could be targeting Love.
Spears said that while it is likely the Lakers and James will agree to a new deal soon, L.A. could also look to add the five-time All-Star.
“I’m hearing that [LeBron’s] likely coming back [to the Lakers],” Spears said. “And also I’m hearing that one of his old teammates from Cleveland, Kevin Love, could likely be joining the Lakers too. [Love] is an unrestricted free agent, rejoining his old buddy, I could see those two guys being reunited there.”
“I’m hearing that [LeBron’s] likely coming back [to the Lakers]. … Kevin Love could likely be joining the Lakers too.”@MarcJSpears gives some insight on what could be next for LeBron 🏀 pic.twitter.com/EV1Qwqiixf
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 17, 2026
Love, 37, is far from the player he was when he played an integral part in the Cavaliers‘ 2016 title run. For the past three seasons, the Los Angeles native has averaged 15.5 minutes of action as a member of the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz.
In total, Love has played in 115 games with 19 starts in the past three seasons. In addition, he has not contributed to a team in a big way since the 2021-22 season with Cleveland.
Kevin Love does not match Lakers’ timeline
The Lakers desperately need to bolster the team if they want any chance at competing for a title in the 2026-27 season. Potentially adding Love would not accomplish that goal.
The mission for the Lakers is clear: get younger, more athletic and better equipped to compete around Luka Doncic.
Love in the purple and gold accomplishes none of that. If Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka were to seriously pursue Love, it would be difficult to justify, given the roster’s current needs and direction.
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