Originally published by LakersNation.com
When the Los Angeles Lakers take the court for the 2026-27 season, they will look much different than they did last season as they completely overhauled their roster.
With LeBron James departing in free agency, the Lakers’ focused shifted to building around Luka Doncic and putting together a core with youth, athleticism and shooting. And one person who likes what the Lakers did is franchise legend Magic Johnson.
“I said this offseason the Lakers had to get younger, more athletic, and faster, and they did just that,” Johnson said in a social media post. “We got a young, athletic center in Walker Kessler who can score and is a great rim protector, and I was so happy they signed two-time All Defensive player Matisse Thybulle! I’ve enjoyed watching the two young players Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. Sexton’s speed and quickness, and Grimes’ scoring and defense make them two great pickups for the Lakers! They also added three point shooting from Sandro Mamukelashvili. I loved the way our first round pick Cameron Carr played in summer league, he has a beautiful three point shot and is very athletic. I don’t know much about Ziaire Williams yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about his game!”
The big move of the summer for the Lakers was securing their long-term center by acquiring Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. While they gave up a lot of draft assets to make it happen, Kessler is exactly what the Lakers need at center as he can rebound, protect the paint and catch lobs from Doncic.
After landing Kessler and re-signing Austin Reaves, the Lakers rounded out their roster with versatile, athletic players on the wing. They were able to add Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, among others. That should give the Lakers more depth to account for injuries during a long 82-game regular season.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will be able to compete for championships right away with this new roster, which is always the goal for the purple and gold. Johnson definitely seems optimistic, but some more moves may be necessary in order for the Lakers to get to where they want to be.
Lakers keep calling Jonathan Kuminga
Arguably the Lakers’ biggest remaining need is adding a starting-caliber forward who can defend and shoot. While there isn’t a perfect option available, the best remaining free agent is Jonathan Kuminga.
The Lakers have known interest in Kuminga and reportedly have kept calling him to see if there is a contract that works for both parties. Given the Lakers’ lack of cap space, it would have to be a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks, which is another hurdle to clear in order to get Kuminga to L.A.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
When the Los Angeles Lakers take the court for the 2026-27 season, they will look much different than they did last season as they completely overhauled their roster.
With LeBron James departing in free agency, the Lakers’ focused shifted to building around Luka Doncic and putting together a core with youth, athleticism and shooting. And one person who likes what the Lakers did is franchise legend Magic Johnson.
“I said this offseason the Lakers had to get younger, more athletic, and faster, and they did just that,” Johnson said in a social media post. “We got a young, athletic center in Walker Kessler who can score and is a great rim protector, and I was so happy they signed two-time All Defensive player Matisse Thybulle! I’ve enjoyed watching the two young players Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes. Sexton’s speed and quickness, and Grimes’ scoring and defense make them two great pickups for the Lakers! They also added three point shooting from Sandro Mamukelashvili. I loved the way our first round pick Cameron Carr played in summer league, he has a beautiful three point shot and is very athletic. I don’t know much about Ziaire Williams yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about his game!”
The big move of the summer for the Lakers was securing their long-term center by acquiring Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. While they gave up a lot of draft assets to make it happen, Kessler is exactly what the Lakers need at center as he can rebound, protect the paint and catch lobs from Doncic.
After landing Kessler and re-signing Austin Reaves, the Lakers rounded out their roster with versatile, athletic players on the wing. They were able to add Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, among others. That should give the Lakers more depth to account for injuries during a long 82-game regular season.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will be able to compete for championships right away with this new roster, which is always the goal for the purple and gold. Johnson definitely seems optimistic, but some more moves may be necessary in order for the Lakers to get to where they want to be.
Lakers keep calling Jonathan Kuminga
Arguably the Lakers’ biggest remaining need is adding a starting-caliber forward who can defend and shoot. While there isn’t a perfect option available, the best remaining free agent is Jonathan Kuminga.
The Lakers have known interest in Kuminga and reportedly have kept calling him to see if there is a contract that works for both parties. Given the Lakers’ lack of cap space, it would have to be a sign-and-trade with the Atlanta Hawks, which is another hurdle to clear in order to get Kuminga to L.A.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.