Did Rob Pelinka improve the Lakers roster this offseason?
Rob Pelinka remade the Lakers roster around Luka Dončić, adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili while re-signing Austin Reaves. The overhaul got Los Angeles younger and an elite center, but costly four-year deals and a thin frontcourt have drawn sharp league criticism—so the verdict is mixed until games tip off.
Key Takeaways
- Most of last season’s rotation is gone; Kessler is the headline upgrade at center next to Dončić and Reaves.
- FanSided ranked Kessler’s and Grimes’ new deals among free agency’s 10 worst contracts.
- The Athletic’s John Hollinger said fully guaranteed four-year deals for Kessler, Mamukelashvili, and Grimes “raised eyebrows.”
- Pelinka also added cheap wing help in Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, plus Kevon Looney as backup center.
- A starting power forward remains a gap after LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Luke Kennard left the fold.
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What did Rob Pelinka change on the Lakers roster?
According to Silver Screen and Roll, the front office maximized summer optionality and used it. The majority of last year’s rotation was replaced by Grimes, Sexton, and Mamukelashvili, with Kessler billed as the biggest addition—a top-tier frontcourt piece for the first time in the Dončić era.
Re-signing Austin Reaves kept the No. 2 option in place. Lake Show Life notes Pelinka also signed wing defenders Williams and Thybulle on cheap one-year deals. Heavy.com frames the summer as a full rebuild around Dončić after a monumental overhaul.
Why are the Lakers’ offseason signings getting ripped?
Not everyone buys the spend. Lake Show Life reports FanSided listed Kessler as the No. 1 worst free-agent contract and Grimes at No. 6—the only team with two players on that list. Kessler is on more than $30 million per season after playing just five games last year, while Grimes’ roughly $15 million deal for a reserve who cooled as a shooter drew debate.
Heavy.com cites Hollinger on four-year, fully guaranteed deals with player options for Kessler, Mamukelashvili, and Grimes in a market where most role players took shorter terms. Sexton’s room-exception deal included an option year critics say L.A. did not need. Trading Deandre Ayton to Washington for Jaden Hardy and second-round picks only freed about $2.1 million in cap room, another move that raised eyebrows.
Is the Lakers roster better heading into next season?
The optimistic case: Los Angeles got younger, kept Reaves, landed an elite rim protector, and is reportedly shopping for another big. Kessler is asked to cover defensive holes if Dončić, Reaves, and Mamukelashvili start together. Backup center Looney logged just 14.7 minutes per game over 21 games last season and had one dunk all year—thin insurance up front.
Skeptics point to losing James, Hachimura, and Kennard without a clear starting power forward, plus heavy money and draft capital (two firsts and two swaps for Kessler’s $130 million over four years) already committed. With so many players locked up and little draft capital left, further upgrades likely require hard trades. Until tip-off, Pelinka improved the Lakers roster on paper more than he settled the argument.