The Los Angeles Lakers made big changes to build a new roster around franchise star Luka Doncic this offseason, as the Austin Reaves extension and Walker Kessler sign-and-trade showed the front office was ready to take a big swing to create a star trio for the next few years.
However, though the Reaves and Kessler moves were big, the Lakers had eyes on bigger stars in the free-agent and trade market, but failed to land nearly all of them.
Now, just days before the start of training camp, Los Angeles was given a brutal grade on their offseason moves, as there is a big chance that those decisions to lock down the two players next to Doncic for the future could come back to bite them.
Lakers Offseason Grade Is Bad News After Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler Deals
Writing for Bleacher Report, Grant Hughes gave the Lakers a C- offseason grade. That could have been due to the multiple reports about the franchise being ready to make a big splash this summer that never ultimately happened, but more specifically, the writer questioned the decisions to extend both Kessler and Reaves.
“Luka Dončić’s desire for a center like Walker Kessler might make this a false choice, but try this thought exercise anyway: Would you rather have Kessler on a four-year, $130 million contract or two unprotected future firsts, two swaps and, let’s say, Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams III?” he asked. “Maybe the alternatives at center don’t move you, but the outlay of cash and the vaporization of so much draft capital make the Kessler move immensely risky.”
The Lakers send back a massive haul to the Utah Jazz for Kessler, and sign him to a brand new deal that takes up nearly 20% of the salary cap.
Additionally, they were always expected to re-sign Reaves, but was the final deal too much for the team to spend?
“Austin Reaves’ four-year, $184.8 million contract is less risky but by no means a sure thing,” Hughes added. “In the end, it’s not totally certain the Lakers are better now with their new group than they would have been (if they kept last season’s core together).”
The Lakers also worked around the edges to bring in other talent through free agency. However, many of those players arrived on multi-year deals, and if those contracts don’t work out well, the franchise could see itself in a dire situation much sooner than expected.
All Of Los Angeles’ Offseason Roster Moves
Along with signing Reaves to a four-year extension, the Lakers overhauled more than half of the roster. They had a ton of players ready to walk in free agency, and brought in a ton of new talent.
Per NBA.com, here are all the offseason moves made by the franchise this summer:
Additions: Quentin Grimes (four-year deal), Jaden Hardy, Walker Kessler (four-year deal), Kevon Looney (one-year deal), Sandro Mamukelashvili (four-year deal), Collin Sexton (two-year deal), Matisse Thybulle (one-year deal), and Ziaire Williams (one-year deal)
Departures: Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, LeBron James, Luke Kennard, and Marcus Smart
Losing James was the biggest thing that happened for the Lakers, but they also saw Hachimura, Hayes, and several other key contributors walk.
They also failed to bring in a new starting power forward; with training camp just days away and the start of the regular season less than a month away, the Lakers remain in trade rumors to grab another player with the limited assets they have left.
Lakers $314M Reaves, Kessler Decisions Trigger Brutal Offseason Grade