The Los Angeles Lakers focused on building a long-term sustainable roster around Luka Doncic, but the sudden ownership change may ruin all of that. Josh Kushner and Bob Iger paid at a $12.5 billion valuation to buy the majority stake in the team. They will have different ideas and want to make changes. The new-look roster that was built to last may not.
The Lakers gave up two first-round draft picks and two swaps to land Walker Kessler. Signing him to a four-year, $129.4 million contract was part of that sign-and-trade. LA also signed four-year deals with Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The front office clearly viewed those four as the long-term core pieces next to Luka. It was a bold strategy as the Lakers bet on Kessler, Grimes, and Mamu having more room to grow.
Fans will get to see the vision for this season, but it may be the only year. The new owners are already building their relationship with Luka. The superstar is safe, but new owners often make splashes in the NBA. The odds of the Lakers keeping all five players after this year are not high. That will alter this summer’s plan for building long-term and potentially set the Lakers back further.
Lakers built long-term only to immediately have a change at the top
This was a summer of bold moves. The Lakers let LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes, and Luke Kennard walk in free agency. They traded Deandre Ayton and virtually gutted last season’s roster.
Their goal was to build a younger and more athletic team around Luka that could stay together for years. It was a summer of necessary change, but there is almost zero chance that Iger and Kushner have the exact same vision as Mark Walter.
The second apron has changed the NBA. No team wants to be over and face the roster-building restrictions that come with it. Depth and rookie scale contracts are more important than ever. The Lakers have Cameron Carr, Bronny James, and Adou Thiero, but Pelinka’s draft track record is abysmal. There is no reason to believe Pelinka will be fired, but he wouldn’t be the first lead executive who was dismissed after an ownership change.
Pelinka is the team's lone shot at stability. If he is gone, the roster will undergo significant changes. That puts even more pressure on this season. Things need to work, so the new ownership stays the course. The Lakers are one bad year away from another complete retool around Luka and even more turmoil.
Doncic wants to win now. He led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 and is eager to win his first championship. The Lakers must put the right supporting cast around him to make that a reality. They took the first steps this summer. The only way for that sentence to remain true is for the Lakers to stay the course.
If the new ownership decides to make significant changes, this plan is out, and a new one is in. That will basically ruin this build and make this summer a waste. That is the last thing fans want, especially because it means wasting a year of Luka’s prime. Sadly, turnover at the top almost always leads to changes.
The Los Angeles Lakers had a plan to build a sustainable roster around Luka Doncic, but that idea likely went out the window with the ownership change. Iger and Kushner will be leading the franchise and likely have their own ideas on how to maximize number 77. That will involve making changes and scrapping the current plan.
Sadly, that is how things go when sudden turmoil hits. Nobody wanted it, but all that is left to do is clean up the mess.
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