LeBron James is gone. The Lakers didn’t just lose a free agent — they lost the face of the franchise, the guy who delivered a title and kept them relevant through years of roster chaos. And what happened next was a flurry of moves that left a lot of people scratching their heads.
Los Angeles landed Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with Utah. They flipped Deandre Ayton to Washington. They brought in Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The roster now belongs to Luka Doncic and a bunch of question marks. Austin Reaves is back too, which is good because the Lakers need someone else who can handle the ball. But here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: their two best players can’t guard anyone.
The 2024 Mavericks Blueprint
Doncic has done this before, kind of. Two years ago in Dallas, he had Kyrie Irving — another elite offensive player who gets picked on defensively. Everyone said it wouldn’t work. Too much overlap, not enough defense, no size. Then the Mavericks traded for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford at the deadline, Dereck Lively II emerged as a real rim protector, and suddenly they were in the NBA Finals.
That run ended against Boston. But the point is it happened at all.
Walker Kessler, at 23 years old, is already a better defensive center than Gafford or Lively were at that point. He blocks shots, rebounds, and doesn’t need the ball to be effective. That’s exactly what Doncic needs — a big man who can clean up his mistakes on defense and finish lobs on offense. The Lakers could still bring back Rui Hachimura too, if the price is right, which would give them another body on the wings.
The Rest of the Roster Is Unproven But Interesting
Grimes, Sexton and Mamukelashvili are a weird mix. Grimes can shoot and defend multiple positions when healthy. Sexton is a microwave scorer who plays like his shoes are on fire. Mamukelashvili is a stretch big who needs to prove he can stay on the floor in playoff minutes. None of them are stars. But they’re depth that the Mavericks didn’t have before their 2024 deadline moves, and the Lakers still have assets to make another trade this summer.
The Western Conference is brutal. Oklahoma City added even more young talent. San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama and a roster that suddenly makes sense. Denver is still Denver. The Lakers are not the favorites. But if Doncic plays like an MVP — which he does pretty much every year — they have a path. It’s a narrow one, filled with defensive lapses and questions about fit. But it’s there.
Until somebody proves otherwise, betting against Luka Doncic in a single-elimination setting is a bad habit.
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