NBA Rumors: 3 Lakers Who Definitely Won't Be Back Next Season

With all the focus now on finding a new head coach, and what the future of LeBron James holds, there's still an entire roster of players (outside of LeBron and Anthony Davis) wondering what this offseason will have in store for them.

After a disappointing early exit from the playoffs, and with a new coaching staff coming on board (at some point), there will be plenty of changes. As always, the Lakers will have their eye on nabbing another superstar if they can in a blockbuster trade, but whatever course of action they take, we can almost certainly state that these three players will not be back in Purple & Gold in 2024-25:

D'Angelo Russell

The rumors are already flying about where D'Lo lands next season, as he is bound to decline his $18 million player option and become a free agent. He showed out big-time in the second half this season, playing so well that the Lakers, in effect, simply couldn't pull the trigger on a trade even if they wanted to. But once again, his playoff performance left a lot to be desired, and his time is quite likely done in LA.

Spencer Dinwiddie

Acquired on the cheap on the buyout market as a backup point guard, Dinwiddie underwhelmed in 24 minutes per night across his 28 games in LA, averaging just 6.8 points and 2.4 assists, and the Lakers will not be looking at the former Brooklyn Net as a solution of any kind going forward.

Taurean Prince

As a bargain $4.5 million one-year free agent, he could have been the ultimate 3-and-D player off the bench for the Lakers, but he was miscast much of the season, playing in a starting role for a large chunk of time for the first time in four years. Despite shooting well from the three-point line, it's likely that the front office chooses to go in another direction with his roster spot.