The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason will be remembered as the summer in which LeBron James left town and Luka Dončić became the team’s clear-cut superstar. So far, Dončić seems to be getting the player-GM treatment as well.
Dončić is “excited” about the Lakers’ recent deals with returning guard Austin Reaves (four years, $185 million) and former Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (four years, $130 million), who joined this team via trade earlier this week, according to The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
Those moves were reportedly made in accordance with Dončić’s biggest desires for the roster: retain Reaves and bring in an elite rim-protecting center like Kessler. The Lakers have reportedly been in regular communication with Dončić while he’s spending the summer in Europe, which is forcing them to navigate a time gap.
The Lakers certainly have good reason to keep Dončić happy, as he will be able to hit free agency after the 2027-28 season.
With Dončić’s input, the Lakers have constructed a roster that will require him, Reaves and Kessler to carry the team’s hopes for the foreseeable future. Per Spotrac, those three players will carry a collective cap hit of $121 million next season. The league set the 2026-27 salary cap at roughly $165 million.
The Lakers also don’t control a first-round pick until the 2032 NBA Draft after the Kessler deal, which saw two first-round picks and two pick swaps head to Utah.
That’s what we call an eventful offseason. We already know James is gone. Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes have also signed elsewhere. Rui Hachimura is still an unrestricted free agent.
Beyond Reaves and Kessler, the team has signed Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million) and Collin Sexton (two years, $19.2 million), while Deandre Ayton opted in to his $8.1 million player option.
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