The Lakers rebuilt their roster around Luka Doncic this summer, and the projected starting five looks very different without LeBron James.
Few teams changed as much in one month as the Lakers did this July.
LeBron James told the front office on June 30 that he plans to play elsewhere next season, ending an eight-year run in Los Angeles and leaving the franchise to build fully around Luka Doncic.
Rui Hachimura followed him out the door by agreeing to a two-year deal with the Clippers, while Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard also landed with new teams.
Rob Pelinka answered with one of the busiest weeks of any front office in the league, reshaping the rotation from top to bottom in a matter of days.
Walker Kessler Anchors the New Frontcourt
The centerpiece arrived through a sign-and-trade with Utah, where the Lakers sent out unprotected future first-round picks and swaps to land Walker Kessler on a four-year, $130 million contract.
The deal carries obvious risk because Kessler played just five games last season before undergoing surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder, though he averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in that short stretch and says he is fully cleared for training camp.
Kessler sounded like a player ready to reward the investment when he met with reporters in Las Vegas.
"It makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you," Kessler said. "If I know they have that belief in me, I'm going to run through a brick wall for them."
Filling Out the Starting Five
Doncic gives the projected lineup its engine after he averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game last season, and Austin Reaves returns next to him fresh off a career year of 23.3 points per night.
Quentin Grimes profiles as the small forward after signing a four-year, $60 million deal, bringing perimeter defense and floor spacing the roster badly needed.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is the best bet at power forward following his own four-year agreement, while Collin Sexton looks headed for a sixth-man role that fits his scoring punch.
Sexton already praised his new teammate for the competitiveness he brings every night.
Roster Nearly Set Entering Camp
Ziaire Williams took the 15th and final standard roster spot on a veteran minimum deal, which means any further addition would likely require a trade.
The front office kept looking at wings late in the process, as the team reportedly showed interest in Matisse Thybulle and brought him in on a one-year deal on Monday.
Summer League gave the staff plenty to consider as well, since the young Lakers went unbeaten in Las Vegas until falling to the Warriors in Saturday's semifinal, with Arthur Kaluma still pushing for a two-way contract behind the main group.
Training camp opens in late September, and the projection here has Doncic, Reaves, Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Kessler taking the floor together on opening night.
