One of the most fun conversations around the NBA when the offseason comes to a close is about the winners and losers of the summer. The focus of these conversations is typically about teams and the moves they made or didn’t make. But players can be both winners and losers.
In a recent ESPN piece, NBA insiders discussed the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason and concluded that Luka Doncic was indeed a massive winner this summer.
"Ultimately, Doncic exits the offseason as a big winner. His partnership with [Austin] Reaves remains intact, he doesn't need to balance superstar responsibilities with [LeBron] James any longer, and [Walker] Kessler checks all the boxes for what he needs in a center."
They highlight how this summer gave Luka a clear path forward as LA’s sole star with LeBron leaving for Philly, his co-star Reaves was retained long-term, and he got his center. The list of reasons as to why this summer was a massive win not, just for the Lakers but for Luka, doesn’t stop at those three. The Lakers took the Dallas Mavericks' 2024 blueprint and made it better.
Luka Doncic has it all in Los Angeles after this summer
Obviously, retaining Reaves may have been the biggest move LA did this summer, as it costs them the most money and locks in a reliable Robin to Luka’s Batman. Kessler was also a massive signing and gives Luka a center that can replicate what he had with his bigs in Dallas, but at a much higher level.
The way Rob Pelinka rounded out the roster around the rest of those moves was just as important and made this offseason an A+, if you’re Luka.
Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes go hand in hand. Both players bring Luka something he didn't have until LA acquired Luke Kennard at last season's trade deadline: elite floor spacing.
This past season, Mamu finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.9 percent from deep for Toronto. He’ll now slot in perfectly next to Kessler in the frontcourt and space the floor way better than P.J. Washington did for Dallas back in their 2024 Finals run.
Grimes, for his career, is a 36.6 percent 3-point shooter. He’s been in a score-first role in recent years, but going back to his days with the New York Knicks shows a player with strong point-of-attack defender potential.
Both Grimes and Mamu are expected to slot in at the forward spots for LA and provide a level of spacing that will open up the floor and allow Luka to showcase true playmaking magic.
One of the things LA was missing last season, too, was a reliable ball handler off the bench who could run an offense and bring energy. They got exactly that in Collin Sexton.
The former lottery pick has built a career in recent years being efficient and high-energy, thriving as a second-unit leader. LA needs this. For Luka, it makes his life, particularly in the regular season, that much easier with a true backup.
When building around Luka, you don’t need a lot. His ability to be an offensive threat for a team makes roster construction around him much simpler.
We saw in 2024 that all he truly needed was floor spacers, a secondary scorer, bench relief, and a big who can protect the rim and get fed lobs. Pelinka checked all those boxes this summer, and may not be done with rumors of Jonathan Kuminga donning the purple and gold still swirling.
The NBA is all about keeping your stars happy, and the Lakers front office did exactly that this offseason.
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