The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a pivotal offseason, and one veteran forward may already have played his final game in purple and gold. Following a hard-fought 115-110 season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 17-time champions are under pressure to reshape their roster around superstar Luka Dončić.

Among the potential departures? Maxi Kleber, Dončić's former Dallas Mavericks teammate, who is on a three-year, $33 million contract set to expire. According to a recent analysis from Lake Show Life's Svyatoslav Rovenchuk, the Lakers should seriously consider moving on. "There should be very little reason to bring him back in free agency," Rovenchuk noted.

Kleber arrived in Los Angeles as part of the blockbuster Dončić trade ahead of the 2025 deadline, but his impact has been minimal. The 34-year-old German big man never found a consistent role in head coach J.J. Redick's rotation, largely due to a right foot fracture that sidelined him entirely for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

In the 2025-26 regular season, Kleber averaged just 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, shooting a disappointing 23.1% from three-point range. His postseason numbers were even more telling: 0.3 points and 0.7 rebounds in three appearances. Once known as a promising stretch four during his prime years in Dallas, Kleber has struggled to carve out a clear identity with the Lakers.

At 6-foot-10, Kleber still has the physical tools, but the question is whether he remains an NBA-caliber contributor at this stage of his career. As Rovenchuk put it bluntly: "If someone deems Kleber to still be at that level, it should not be the Lakers."

With Dončić entering his prime and the Lakers looking to reload, it's becoming increasingly clear that the front office will need to make tough decisions. For Kleber, that likely means finding a new home for the 2026-27 season.