Lakers Spent $131 Million in Free Agency. Did They Actually Get Better?

The Lakers walked into free agency with a clear problem. They needed a center, they needed to replace Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, and they had to figure out what to do with Rui Hachimura. They came out of it with Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. That’s a lot of movement. But the question nobody’s fully answered yet is whether the sum of those parts is actually better than what they had.

Let’s start with the big one. Kessler is a legitimate rim-protecting center, something the Lakers have been chasing since they traded Anthony Davis. Getting him through a sign-and-trade with Utah cost them, but it filled a hole that’s been open for two seasons. He’s 23, he rebounds, and he blocks shots. That part is good.

After that, things get messier.

The backcourt swap nobody asked for

Quentin Grimes is the cleanest addition. He shot 45 percent from the field last year with the 76ers, averaged 13.4 points, and can defend well enough to start alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He’s not a star, but he fits. That signing makes sense.

Then you get to Sexton versus Smart. Financially, Sexton got a bigger deal than Smart did in Houston. Offensively, there’s no argument — Sexton is better. He shot 40.1 percent from three last season and can create his own shot. But the Lakers already have Doncic, Reaves, and now Grimes. What they lost was Smart’s defense, his locker room presence, and the kind of energy that made everyone around him play harder. Multiple people around the team last season talked about how contagious that was. You can’t replace that with a stat sheet.

So you’re swapping defense and leadership for more scoring in a backcourt that didn’t need more scoring. It’s not a bad move. It’s just not clearly a better one.

Hachimura’s replacement is a gamble

If Mamukelashvili is essentially taking Hachimura’s spot, that’s a lateral bet at best. Hachimura worked himself into one of the better catch-and-shoot forwards in the league. He knew where to be around LeBron and Doncic. Mamukelashvili is more versatile offensively — he can handle the ball a little, pass a little — but continuity matters. The Lakers are asking a new guy to step into a role where chemistry already existed. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it takes half a season to figure out.

This is the wild card of the whole offseason. If Mamukelashvili hits, the grade goes up. If he doesn’t, the Lakers spent $131 million to run in place.

Overall, the Lakers addressed needs. They just didn’t address them in a way that obviously elevates the ceiling. It feels more like rearranging furniture than buying new stuff.

Grade: B-/C+