Lakers nearly complete roster with addition of three more players

The Los Angeles Lakers were busy in NBA free agency and the trade market on Wednesday. 

Just a short period of time after acquiring
Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler and signing him to an extension, Los Angeles went to free agency and signed three players to nearly fill out its roster.

Lakers lock up backups at multiple positions

With a nearly cemented starting five for Los Angeles, backups were the focal point of Wednesday’s transactions. The Lakers signed point guard Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million), shooting guard Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million) and power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million).

There is no question that the starters at those three positions will be Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and the aforementioned Kessler, so the three free-agent signings will all be expected to contribute off the bench.

How does the Lakers roster look without LeBron James?

With the departure of LeBron James, it was clear that Los Angeles would need to heavily upgrade the rest of its roster around Doncic and Reaves. The additions of all four players acquired Wednesday filled that void in a major way, giving the Lakers a bit of shooting, as well as good defensive presences with Sexton and Kessler.

In what has become a stacked Western Conference, the Lakers will need major contributions from those surrounding Doncic and Reaves. If it gets those contributions, Los Angeles may be in a position to make a run deep into the NBA playoffs in 2027 and beyond.