The Los Angeles Lakers and free-agent forward Jake LaRavia have agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday. The fully guaranteed deal was negotiated by agents Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry of AMR Agency.
Jake LaRavia To Replace Dorian Finney-Smith In Lakers’ Rotation
LaRavia, 23, is projected to replace Dorian Finney-Smith in the Lakers’ rotation next season. Finney-Smith agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday, sources told Charania.
Prior to this deal, the Lakers had the ability to use both the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and the $5.1 million biannual exception, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
LaRavia contract comes out of the $14.1M non tax ML
$8.25M left
$5.1M biannual still remaining https://t.co/QrYKoW4Ypz
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2025
However, using either would trigger a hard cap at the first apron. Los Angeles is currently $19.7 million below that threshold. LaRavia’s contract comes out of the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to Marks.
LaRavia’s two-year deal comes in just above the $11.7 million limit tied to the taxpayer mid-level exception, meaning the Lakers are now officially hard-capped at the $195.9 million first apron.
Grizzlies Traded LaRavia To Kings At 2024-25 Deadline
The 6-foot-8 LaRavia was selected 19th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 NBA draft out of Wake Forest. He was then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
LaRavia spent his first 2½ seasons with the Grizzlies before he was dealt to the Sacramento Kings at the deadline last season as part of a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards.
Per Spotrac, LaRavia had a $5.1 million team option for 2025-26 that Memphis declined before the season. He earned $6.1 million during his tenure with the Grizzlies and made $3.35 million last season with Sacramento.
LaRavia Suffered A Thumb Fracture Last Season
In 136 career NBA regular-season games (six starts) across three seasons, LaRavia has averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 18.9 minutes per contest while shooting 42.9% from the field and 37.1% from deep.
In 66 games off the bench split between the Grizzlies and Kings last season, he averaged 6.9 points, career highs of 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists, and 20.4 minutes per contest while shooting career bests of 47.5% from the floor and 42.3% from 3-point range.
LaRavia missed the final 10 games of the 2024-25 regular season due to a thumb fracture, and there’s reportedly no timeline on whether he’ll be ready for training camp in the fall.
