The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy offseason, revamping their roster to better fit around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who is returning on a four-year, $184.7 million deal.

After using a three-star system with Doncic, Reaves, and LeBron James since Doncic was acquired in 2025, the Lakers are now rolling with just Doncic and Reaves, putting more ancillary pieces around them in order to maximize their strengths and hide their weaknesses.

The gem of the Lakers offseason was Walker Kessler, an imposing big man who was acquired from the Utah Jazz in exchange for unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033, plus first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.

The deal was a sign-and-trade as Kessler was a restricted free agent. He signed a four-year, $130 million extension with the Lakers upon the trade being completed.

According to Marc Stein of the Stein Line newsletter, the Lakers were able to pull off the trade for Kessler because his camp had convinced Utah officials that he was going to sign a qualifying offer, which meant he would have hit unrestricted free agency next offseason and could leave for nothing.

Utah would have lost much of its leverage had Kessler signed his qualifying offer.

The Lakers not only viewed Kessler as their top target to pair with Doncic because of his skill set, but they reportedly felt comfortable giving up multiple first-round picks because they didn’t have to give up as much to acquire Doncic.

The Lakers traded Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka in February 2025.

There is no denying that Kessler is the perfect complement for Luka based on the success he had with Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively during the Mavericks’ run to the Finals in 2024.

Kessler is strong on the boards, finishes around the rim as a lob threat or catching in the restricted area, and is the kind of rim protector they’ve lacked since trading Davis.

He was limited to five games last season due to a shoulder injury, but the Lakers felt comfortable enough to make the deal and sign him to a massive extension because they see the upside in a player who just turned 25.

It’s a bit of a risk for the Lakers considering how much time he missed last season, but it was one worth taking.