Over recent years, players had not been flocking to Los Angeles in free agency with the same type of conviction that Hollywood's franchise had grown accustomed to in the past. The Los Angeles Lakers were a destination. Everyone used to want that spotlight. This offseason helped revive that.
Sure, the money the Lakers had to play around with certainly did not hurt the cause. Rob Pelinka set up his franchise to be big spenders in the summer of 2026, but it was still important to see the strong group of players they managed to secure with that type of cash.
There was a key element at play that allowed the Lakers to look like a real destination again. When it was clear to them that LeBron James would be leaving, a Lakers front office executive told Keith Smith at summer league that Los Angeles had an easy time luring free agents to the franchise.
“We had a feeling it was coming, and when LeBron chose to go elsewhere, that locked it in. The good news is that we knew we’d have Luka [Doncic] and Austin [Reaves] and that made the pitches to the guys we added really, really easy to make.”
Lakers stars have made the franchise a desirable destination again
The Lakers overhauled more than half their roster this offseason once it was clear James was not coming back. The star power of Doncic and Reaves made it easy to get guys in the building. Why would it not?
Doncic is among the best players in the NBA. More than that, Luka has a proven track record of elevating the teammates around him and getting the most out of guys who are willing to play their part beside the Slovenian superstar.
Reaves is still a player getting accustomed to true star status. However, the instances that called for more offensive duties from the Lakers guard last season led to strong production for him. An expanded role should lead to more offense for not just him, but his teammates, too.
A lot of these new names needed little convincing on the idea of playing with these two guys, specifically. The arrivals in Los Angeles have connections to both Doncic and Reaves.
Walker Kessler played with AR on Team USA. Quentin Grimes was teammates with Doncic in Dallas. They got their opportunity to be on the court with these stars previously, and wanted to have it again.
Even for the players who have not played with those two stars, Sandro Mamukelashvili serves as a great example of someone who was enamored with Doncic from a distance. There should be plenty more like him who eventually find their way to Los Angeles because of that.
Free agency is a real vehicle to get guys to the Lakers again. That should help Los Angeles continue to be a destination and add real talent while they have Doncic and Reaves in the building.
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