Lakers Urged To Target Potential $110M Two-Way Rising Star

Getty CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 30: Anthony Black #0 of the Orlando Magic looks on during the second half of the basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on October 30, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) The Los Angeles Lakers failed to land Peyton Watson , Jonathan Kuminga , and several other big names they were linked to this summer to add wing depth.

But even though the team missed out on some of the players this offseason, that doesn’t mean the Lakers will give up trying, as the team could be in line to land one of the best young players in the NBA in the not-so-distant future. Anthony Black isn’t expected to get a contract extension from the Orlando Magic , and whether it’s through leaving next summer in free agency or through a trade this season, the Lakers could be one of the top landing spots for the young guard.

Black, 22, is coming off the best season of his career, putting up 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for the Magic in 64 games. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract and could be the missing piece for the Lakers after the team missed out on so many of their top wing targets this offseason.

Anthony Black Has Uncertain Future With Orlando Magic Getty ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MAY 01: Anthony Black #0 of the Orlando Magic celebrates a basket against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter in Game Six of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Kia Center on May 01, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) Recently, it was NBA insider Marc Stein who reported that Black’s tenure in Orlando might be coming to an end.

In one of his Stein Line Substack posts, he said the 6’7′′ wing isn’t close to signing a contract extension with the Magic. “Sources say that the sides have not engaged in any meaningful extension dialogue to date – not during the offseason or even since training camps began – because the Magic have concerns about the long-term financial obligations they have already stacked up by signing Jalen Suggs to a lucrative extension in addition to frontcourt stalwarts Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and summer of 2025 marquee trade acquisition Desmond Bane ,” Stein reported, which could potentially open the door for the Lakers to land Black down the road.

Additionally, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst commented on Black’s situation with the Magic, stating that he could earn close to the $110 million contract extension recently given to Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors . “Teams are watching Magic guard Anthony Black , who is coming off a breakout year in which he averaged 15.0 points and started 40 games,” he wrote.

“ Brandin Podziemski is a comparable player to Black and his five-year, $110 million deal with the Warriors last week has framed his contract talks to a degree, especially because Podziemski and Black share an agent, Bill Duffy. The Magic, sources said, have not yet been willing to offer the same $22 million per year average that Podziemski signed.” With all of that, even if the Lakers would need to sign Black to a multi-year deal paying him roughly $22 million per season, he could be the exact type of player to join the starting lineup alongside Luka Doncic , Austin Reaves , and Walker Kessler , especially given the potential he showed for Orlando this past year.

Lakers Urged To Target Rising Young Star Getty ORLANDO, FLORIDA – APRIL 15: Anthony Black #0 of the Orlando Magic reacts to a play during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center on April 15, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Writing for LakeShowLife.com after the recent reporting about Black as a potential free agent or trade target over the next few months, Maxwell Ogden urged the Lakers to seriously think about him as the team’s next big-name addition.

“Black is still under contract and is unlikely to be traded this season, but the Orlando Magic’s unwillingness to give him the ideal extension is a sign that 2027 free agency drama is a possibility,” he wrote. “Black, 22, has become one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. He’s an excellent on-ball defender, a dynamic scoring threat, and a skilled playmaker who stands at 6’7′′ and can operate as anything from a wing to a point guard.” There are still questions about Black as a high-end three-point shooter.

However, he’s a competent ball handler and has shown a ton of potential defensive end of the floor, averaging 1.4 assists in less than 30 minutes per game, he could be the missing piece to fix the Lakers’ issues guarding opposing team’s top perimeter scorers. “He’s a 6’7′′ playmaker who can run the offense in transition, create for himself in the half-court, and make plays both on and away from the ball on defense,” Ogden added.

“Defensively, Black is already one of the better players in the NBA. In addition to averaging 2.5 stocks—steals plus blocks—per 36 minutes, he ranked in the 96th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 81st percentile in off-ball chaser defense in 2025-26, per Basketball Index.” If the Lakers decide trading for Black this season is the right move, they’d likely have to include Jarred Vanderbilt ‘s contract and another young player to send back to the Magic.

They could also land him in free agency next summer, but the potential $110 million contract, as Windhorst proposed, would also be a tough pill to swallow. Still, it doesn’t look like Orlando has plans to keep him around, which could mean the Lakers have a real shot at adding one of the best young two-way players in the NBA after missing out on so many top targets this past summer.

Black remains on the Magic for now, but all the recent reporting indicates he could become available for Los Angeles this season or in 2027. Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One.

He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski