There is no arguing against the reasons the Los Angeles Lakers had for aggressively pursuing and securing center Walker Kessler this summer, not when Luka Doncic clearly wanted him in LA. He cost the Lakers $130 million plus two first-round picks and two swaps, but he is clearly a fit. The problem for the Lakers, though, is that there was plenty to be picked apart with what they did with the rest of their cap space this NBA summer, giving out $130 million worth of contracts for Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton.
Now, it is early, and the team has plenty of room to improve. So do those players. But consider the performance on Friday night against the Warriors, when the Lakers coughed up a 17-point lead and lost by 17 points on the road to the Warriors.
Sexton, Mamukelashvili and Grimes combined for seven points. They were 3-for-15 shooting, and 1-for-8 from the 3-point line. Again, it is one game, and it is early. But the returns so far are not promising on the Lakers trio of additions.
Lakers Bid Against Themselves
This goes back to what one NBA executive said in the wake of the Lakers’ early July spending spree, when they followed up letting LeBron James walk in free agency and adding Kessler by signing Grimes (four years, $60 million) and Mamukelashvili (four years, $53 million).
“I have no problem with those guys as players, and if you’re adding them, they’re going to help your bench,” the Western Conference executive said at the time. “But they were bidding against themselves. No one was going to give Quentin Grimes $60 million. No one was giving Mamu $50 million. It is just not a good use of your space.”
And so far, it’s not shaping up well. Grimes is averaging 9.0 points per game this season and shooting 23.5% from the 3-point line, a rough look for a 3-and-D player. Mamukelashvili is at 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, but making 31.3% of his 3-pointers, also a rough look for a stretch 4/5. Sexton has had some moments, but is averaging 9.6 points on 37.8% shooting, 26.1% 3-point shooting.
As an off-the-bench scorer, that’s not great.
As longtime Lakers analyst Anthony Irwin wrote on Twitter/X: “Sexton and Grimes really need to raise their floors if they’re going to be the contributors Rob thought they’d be with those contracts.”
That’s putting it mildly. Again, it’s only six games, and the Lakers are 4-2. But the bench pieces are a long way from living up to their payouts.
Lakers Angst Grows as $130 Million New Additions Flop