Los Angeles Lakers offseason roster changes Luka Doncic Austin Reaves Walker Kessler LeBron James
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The Los Angeles Lakers have been making headlines all offseason. While an ownership battle is the latest controversy, LeBron James‘ departure and the franchise’s moves to better suit Luka Doncic are more pertinent to the team’s title hopes next season.
The Lakers were one of the busiest teams in the NBA this summer, which included a roster overhaul that saw key players leave and new ones arrive. However, many don’t believe Los Angeles is in a better spot to compete for a championship in the 2026-27 season.
Along with putting tons of money into multi-year contracts for players that aren’t even proven starters, the Lakers gave up a lot of salary cap space and assets to lock down Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, two players who are strong but might not be worth the price paid by the franchise.
As the Lakers begin to ramp up for the upcoming season, the team was recently urged to pump the brakes on any big championship hopes this year by a few important insiders from around the league.
Lakers Handed Reality Check After Major Offseason Changes To Suit Luka Doncic
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 11: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 11, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The critiques on the Lakers this summer have been prominent and harsh, as while they brought in a completely new supporting cast, the team also lost any of their top contributors from last season, a group that’s highlighted by James.
Despite the major changes, according to a new ESPN article predicting the Lakers’ record, the team was forecasted to be in the ‘Play-In’ group in the Western Conference, expected to finish with roughly a 45-37 record.
“The Lakers were a play-in team three times with LeBron James, and now that he is gone, it will be Luka Doncic’s challenge to lead L.A. to a top-six spot,” Dave McMenamin wrote. “The Lakers are coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons with coach JJ Redick but will field a drastically different lineup beyond the obvious change with James’ departure.”
ESPN graded the Lakers a C+ for their offseason moves. 🤔
Los Angeles got younger, more athletic, and added great depth. Yet they still get a C+? 🤷
In a similar sense, Zach Buckley, writing for Bleacher Report, echoed that statement, asking if the Lakers’ offseason roster moves change their status as a Play-In team.
“They just pumped all of their assets into a Play-In roster,” he wrote. “Luka Dončić at least seems on board with the moves, but there isn’t an obvious way for L.A. to wiggle out of this should things run awry.”
While Los Angeles was just one of a few teams to make a roster overhaul this summer, there’s no guarantee this group of players can take the next step. Even if Doncic goes up a level, having the right cast around him is as important, and after missing out on the team’s top superstar targets, this might not be the roster the Lakers thought they’d have heading into next year.
LA Made Big Roster Changes, Many Of Which Are Still Question Marks
Just to make things clear, this is how the Lakers’ roster changed after a very busy offseason.
Re-signings: Austin Reaves
Additions: Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy, Walker Kessler, Kevon Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, and Ziaire Williams
Departures: Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, LeBron James, Luke Kennard, and Marcus Smart
“The Lakers might have been the busiest team of the summer. But did all that activity make them better, or were they merely running in place?” Zach Kram asked after giving the team a C+ offseason grade, writing for ESPN.com. “They have less flexibility now, and it’s hard to say with confidence that they’re any closer to title contention.”
Players like Grimes, Kessler, and Reaves will be huge factors for the Lakers making a leap next season. Each has shown the potential to be game-changing players, but none have done it for an extended period of time.
There is also pressure on Doncic, and while he is an early MVP and All-NBA First-Team candidate for next season, if he isn’t at the top of his game, the Lakers’ playoff hopes will crumble.
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Los Angeles was previously expected to make some big splashes this offseason, and outside of giving up major assets for Kessler, they instead worked around the edges, failing to land that one big-name superstar.
So, with all that, the Lakers head into the 2026-27 season with relatively low expectations. Whether it’s making the Play-In Tournament or finishing as a top-six seed in the West, they are not predicted to be top title contenders.
All of that could change throughout the year, but for now, the Lakers’ offseason roster changes wind up being somewhat disappointing, especially after the talent they lost this summer.