Luka Doncic Reportedly ‘Excited’ by Lakers’ Offseason Moves After Kessler Trade and Austin Reaves Deal

LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic is reportedly pleased with the Los Angeles Lakers’ whirlwind offseason, which has reshaped the roster around him following LeBron James’ departure and a flurry of moves aimed at building a contender for the post-James era.

According to a report from Dan Woike of The Athletic, league sources said Doncic was “excited” about the team’s recent moves, particularly the decisions to retain guard Austin Reaves and acquire center Walker Kessler in a trade. Woike reported that the Lakers addressed two of Doncic’s biggest priorities for the roster this summer: keeping Reaves in the fold and adding an elite rim-protecting big man alongside him.

Woike also reported that the Lakers maintained regular contact with Doncic and his representatives throughout free agency, even as the star guard spent the summer in Europe and the team worked across a significant time difference. Those conversations, according to the report, helped guide the front office’s approach as it reshaped the roster in the weeks following James’ exit.

The offseason began with James informing the organization that he would not return for a ninth season with the Lakers. He remains an unrestricted free agent and is expected to continue his career elsewhere for what would be his 24th season in the league. His departure closed a chapter for the franchise and set off a series of roster moves that quickly followed.

The Lakers soon lost two more rotation players. Marcus Smart signed with the Houston Rockets, the team the Lakers eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, while Luke Kennard agreed to join the Phoenix Suns. Reserve big man Jaxson Hayes also departed for a new team. The departures left the Lakers with considerable salary-cap flexibility, which the front office moved quickly to use.

The centerpiece of that spending was a sign-and-trade agreement with the Utah Jazz for Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center who has established himself as one of the league’s top young defensive anchors. The deal, which included a four-year, $130 million contract for Kessler, cost the Lakers significant future draft capital — their unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, along with pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. The transaction leaves Los Angeles without a controlled first-round pick until the 2032 draft.

In the same stretch of roughly 35 minutes, according to reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers also signed free agents Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton. Grimes is expected to help fill the playmaking and defensive void left by Smart’s departure, Mamukelashvili adds shooting and floor-spacing as a stretch forward, and Sexton gives the Lakers a true backup point guard, a role the team had lacked in recent seasons.

Those additions came after the Lakers had already made their most significant retention of the offseason, re-signing Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract after he declined his player option and would have otherwise become an unrestricted free agent. Reaves and Doncic have built a close on-court partnership since Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles roughly 16 months ago, and keeping the young guard together with Doncic and Kessler is expected to form the foundation of the team’s roster going forward. Spotrac data show that Doncic, Reaves and Kessler are projected to carry a combined salary-cap hit of $121 million next season, against a league-wide salary cap set at roughly $165 million for 2026-27.

Kessler, who spent four seasons with the Jazz, averaged 2.4 blocks per game over that span and has been regarded as one of the more promising young defensive centers in the league. A shoulder injury cut his most recent season short, but evaluators continue to view him as a high-upside addition who could pair well with Doncic’s passing ability in pick-and-roll situations. The Lakers finished last season with a defensive rating of 115.5, ranked 20th in the NBA, a figure the front office hopes will improve significantly with Kessler anchoring the paint.

Reporting from multiple outlets indicates the price the Lakers paid to secure Kessler and retain Reaves has drawn some scrutiny around the league, with rival executives and agents questioning whether Los Angeles surrendered too much draft capital and long-term financial flexibility in the process. The team’s roster is now considered younger and more athletic than last season’s group, but also less experienced, with the departures of veteran role players such as Smart, Kennard and Hayes leaving fewer proven contributors around Doncic, Reaves and Kessler.

Despite those questions, the Lakers’ front office appears to view Doncic’s endorsement of the moves as the most important measure of the offseason’s success. Rob Pelinka, the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager, has overseen the roster overhaul while also expanding his front-office staff, including the hiring of an assistant general manager focused on salary-cap management and analytics. The team is reportedly still exploring the trade market for forward Rui Hachimura, who remains under contract, and has been linked to free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga after the Atlanta Hawks declined his contract option.

The Lakers are scheduled to give fans their first look at the retooled roster this week at the California Classic summer league event, where rookies Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero are expected to headline the team’s summer debut. While the additions of Kessler, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Sexton have not yet been tested on the court together, the Lakers’ front office has made clear that the roster was built specifically around Doncic’s stated preferences following James’ departure.

With training camp still months away, the true measure of the offseason’s success will not be known until the Lakers take the floor together as a group. But based on the reporting surrounding Doncic’s reaction, the franchise appears confident it has entered its next chapter with the support of the player it is now building around for the long term.