The Los Angeles Lakers opened their free agency cycle by agreeing to a two-year, $12 million deal with former Sacramento Kings wing Jake LaRavia. After Dorian Finney-Smith agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets, LaRavia will help fill that gap on the perimeter.
Free agent forward Jake LaRavia has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. LaRavia had a strong finish after joining the Sacramento Kings last season. pic.twitter.com/hXw9E1PzZV
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2025
LaRavia spent the first 2.5 seasons of his NBA career in Memphis before the Grizzlies shipped him to Sacramento at the trade deadline this past season. He posted career-best numbers across the board in year three, especially in Memphis, where he owned a larger role. LaRavia logged career-highs in efficiency (58.6 percent true shooting) and 3-point shooting (42.3 percent) in 2024-25.
Grade: A
He’s one of the better dribble-pass-shoot wings in the free agent pool, with a varied skillset that extends beyond spot-up shooting. LaRavia expanded his drive-and-finish game in Memphis, flourishing within a drive-heavy offense, before scaling back into a lower-usage, floor-spacing role for the Kings.
Critically, LaRavia thrives without the basketball and will add value as a connector and play-finisher next to Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Aside from excellent spot-up shooting, LaRavia converted a career-high 66.7 percent of his shots at the basket last season. Snappy decision-making helps him fit as a roll man and secondary handler who can also attack closeouts.
While he has some defensive limitations guarding quicker players, the Lakers will benefit from his off-ball awareness and defensive playmaking. Positionally, he placed in the 91st percentile for deflections and 85th percentile for steals. He won’t provide the lineup flexibility Finney-Smith did, but he’s a valuable defender on a positive improvement track.
The scant league-wide cap space led the Lakers to acquire LaRavia at an excellent value. A Los Angeles team starved for depth last season, especially in the playoffs, added an ascending 23-year-old wing for less than five percent of the salary cap.
His low-maintenance, two-way skillset fits next to ball-dominant stars like Doncic and James, but LaRavia could add more on-ball creation chops as he ages and develops. It’s an excellent scheme and timeline fit for the Lakers, particularly as a cheaper and younger alternative to the 32-year-old Finney-Smith, who signed a much larger deal in Houston.
