The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers have been busy in the early stages of the 2026 offseason.
After re-signing their own free agents in Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams, the Suns made yet another big swing trade by shipping Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 unprotected first round pick to the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Miles Bridges. They addressed the outgoing 3-point shooting prowess by moving swiftly to sign former Lakers 3-point sniper Luke Kennard.
The Lakers, meanwhile, had LeBron James tell them he’s moving on, Deandre Ayton opted in to his deal, the aforementioned Kennard left, and Los Angeles made a flurry of moves to sign Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
But the Lakers also made a big splash sign-and-trade in that mix that puts the franchise in a somewhat similar boat to the Pacific Division rival Suns.
Suns and Lakers both continue to ship away first-round draft picks
While the 2026-27 NBA standings will ultimately determine which Pacific Division squad had the best short-term outlook, the long-term futures for both the Suns and Lakers are quite murky now that both organizations have shipped away so many first-round picks.
The Lakers have no tradeable first-round picks over the next seven years and have committed $475 million to Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. #NBA
— NBATradeReport (@NBATradeReport) July 1, 2026
After sending away two unprotected firsts in 2031 and 2033, as well as two first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 in the Kessler deal, the Lakers now have no tradeable first-round picks for the next seven years.
The Suns, meanwhile, do not possess their own first-round pick outright until 2032.
For the Lakers — a storied NBA franchise that still carries a fair amount of cachet despite LeBron leaving them in the lurch by moving on — not having their own first-round picks may not be a big deal. Historically, the Lakers have always been able to woo free agents. However, their ability to make more acquisitions via trades moving forward is certainly more complicated now after the Kessler deal.
They’re putting a lot of faith that the recent offseason acquisitions will be ideal fits around star guard Luka Doncic.
The Suns’ outlook in terms of draft capital was already pretty bleak before the decision to give up yet another unprotected first in the Bridges trade. His fit around Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green will no doubt be scrutinized through that lens.
Both the Lakers and Suns have solid rosters in a vacuum, but neither at this juncture seems to be on the level of Western Conference juggernauts named the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers have now committed $475 million to the trio of Doncic, Kessler and Austin Reaves.
The Suns must decide if they want to ink contract extensions with Dillon Brooks and/or Miles Bridges, who will both otherwise become free agents in 2027.
Regardless of how the next few years shake out, neither franchise can lean heavily on the draft to improve. Doncic and Booker will both be hoping their respective supporting casts can deliver.
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