The Los Angeles Lakers have made some interesting moves in free agency as they look to be title contenders next season, but The Athletic’s John Hollinger hasn’t liked what he has seen so far. Hollinger labeled the Lakers one of the losers of this free agency period.
“The Lakers played their cap-room hand by going all in on Kessler, using all their draft capital to acquire the one player whose rim protection might offset the fact that the team employs Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic on the perimeter,” Hollinger wrote. “The Lakers paid a pretty penny, both in terms of contract and assets, and basically left themselves with no means of following up with added moves to improve a roster that seems badly wanting for some in-season work.
“I would have liked the Kessler sign-and-trade much more if they had put Jarred Vanderbilt into the deal and left themselves some real flexibility to build out a roster,” Hollinger continued. “Utah’s cap situation shouldn’t have made that a deal-breaker.
“That said, that’s not why I’m calling the Lakers losers,” Hollinger added. “The real reason is a much simpler one: the uncompensated loss of LeBron James.”
LeBron James decided to part ways with the Lakers after eight seasons this summer. Hollinger wanted everyone to remember that James is still pretty good. The 41-year-old averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26. James also led the Lakers to a first-round series win over the Houston Rockets, and you can’t replace a player like him easily.
Now, Hollinger thinks Walker Kessler is a good acquisition. He wishes the Lakers didn’t have to give up two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz, and give Kessler a four-year, $130 million contract. They couldn’t send any bad contracts to the Jazz, so there’s little flexibility now and no tradeable picks to improve the roster.
To go with Kessler, the Lakers landed Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Kessler likes the Grimes acquisition, but doesn’t believe he and Sexton can compensate for James’ absence.
“You’re not offsetting that by getting a 3-and-D guy and a backup point guard in free agency,” Hollinger wrote. “It’s easy to see how the Lakers might have made themselves a juggernaut if they kept James at a salary in the mid-20 millions and added Kessler at the same time, but that’s not what happened.
“L.A.’s other moves are less important in the grand scheme,” Hollinger continued. “Sandro Mamukelashvili isn’t a starting power forward and is another bad defender, but his shooting and handle would be very useful as a third big. Quentin Grimes checked a 3-and-D box that wasn’t plentiful in this year’s market, and that was the one the Lakers had to get. Collin Sexton is probably the most questionable signing fit-wise, as he’s an energetic but hugely mistake-prone and undersized defender, and an on-ball scorer who won’t have the ball much on this team.”
Hollinger believes the Lakers should have pursued John Collins or Tobias Harris for that power forward spot. He also reckons Kelly Oubre Jr. should have been brought in instead of Sexton. Hollinger did acknowledge, though, that even if the Lakers had made the moves he mentioned, there would still be glaring holes in the roster. He thinks there was too much to fix in one cycle.
Hollinger sees the Lakers as a team that will win a lot of regular-season games, but he doesn’t see them challenging for the title. The Ringer’s Zach Lowe is of a similar opinion, as he believes they have next to no chance of beating the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next few years.
Despite all this pessimism, Luka Doncic is reportedly excited by the Lakers’ signings. They addressed Doncic’s biggest desires: landing a top center like Kessler and retaining Austin Reaves. Will these three prove the doubters wrong? Time will tell.
