The Los Angeles Lakers built their roster around Luka Doncic this summer. They got rid of eight players from last season, including LeBron James. The King’s role played a part in his exit, but the franchise’s focus was getting younger, more athletic, and deeper around Luka. Doncic is a proven alpha who is hungry to win a championship. The Lakers tried to give him the roster to make his goal a reality.
Rob Pelinka is clearly building around number 77. He found shooting, athleticism, and similar archetypes to players Luka has maximized in the past. The Lakers added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Cameron Carr, Jaden Hardy, and Kevon Looney. This is a new-look team that will be different from last season.
The Lakers have 16 players under guaranteed contracts, so someone will have to be cut before opening night. Otherwise, their roster feels virtually set. Free agency has all but dried up, and teams are getting ready for training camp. Fans have a lot to learn about the new-look Lakers, so here are ten interesting ways to break down their roster.
- How was each player on the Lakers' roster acquired?
- Who is the longest-tenured Laker?
- What is the average age of the Lakers' roster (and which position group is the oldest)?
- Which GM brought these players to the Lakers?
- Which college is best-represented on the Lakers?
- Who is reunited with a former teammate in Los Angeles?
- From which state does each player on the Lakers' roster hail?
- Who has the most playoff experience on the Lakers?
- At which position do the Lakers have the most money invested in?
- Who was the Lakers' leading scorer in the year each player on the roster was born?
How was each player on the Lakers' roster acquired?
The Lakers have struggled mightily in the draft since Rob Pelinka has taken over. They haven’t signed a rookie extension with a first-round draft pick since Kyle Kuzma in 2020. Pelinka has had more success in the second round and with undrafted free agents than first-rounders. That has forced LA to primarily build their roster through free agency and trades.
Acquired via | Total number | % of Roster |
|---|---|---|
Free Agency | 8 | 50 |
Trade | 4 | 25 |
Draft | 4 | 25 |
Who is the longest-tenured Laker?
With LeBron’s departure, Austin Reaves became the longest-tenured Laker. He signed as an undrafted rookie in 2021 and just got a massive extension. Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt are the only two players on LA’s roster to have been with the team for more than two years.
Years with Lakers | Players |
|---|---|
5 | Austin Reaves |
4 | Jarred Vanderbilt |
2 | Luka Doncic, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht |
1 | Adou Thiero, Jake LaRavia |
0 | Cameron Carr, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Kevon Looney, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, Jaden Hardy |
What is the average age of the Lakers' roster (and which position group is the oldest)?
The NBA is a young man’s game. The Lakers dropped 0.5 years off their average age this summer, but would still have been one of the ten oldest teams last season.
Position | Average age | Total years of exp. |
|---|---|---|
Full roster | 25.8 | 79 |
Guards | 25.8 | 39 |
Forwards | 24.8 | 20 |
Centers | 27.3 | 20 |
Which GM brought these players to the Lakers?
Rob Pelinka was hired as Lakers’ general manager in 2017. He worked under Magic Johnson for two years before becoming LA’s top executive in 2019. Pelinka has acquired every player on their current roster, but two ownership changes in the last year have fans questioning how much longer Pelinka will be calling the shots for the Lakers.
GM | Total | % of roster |
|---|---|---|
Rob Pelinka | 16 | 100 |
Pelinka has been the top executive for longer than player has been on the Lakers' roster.
Which college is best-represented on the Lakers?
This one is a bit tricky, as seven Lakers played for multiple colleges and two never played NCAA basketball. Still, here is a look at the schools represented by the current Lakers. (Players were counted for multiple colleges if they played for them).
College | Number of players | % of roster |
|---|---|---|
Tennessee | 2 | 12.5 |
Kentucky | 2 | 12.5 |
No College | 2 | 12.5 |
Baylor | 1 | 6.2 |
Alabama | 1 | 6.2 |
Stanford | 1 | 6.2 |
Washington | 1 | 6.2 |
Stanford | 1 | 6.2 |
UCLA | 1 | 6.2 |
Wichita State | 1 | 6.2 |
Oklahoma | 1 | 6.2 |
Seton Hall | 1 | 6.2 |
Kansas | 1 | 6.2 |
Houston | 1 | 6.2 |
North Carolina | 1 | 6.2 |
Auburn | 1 | 6.2 |
Arkansas | 1 | 6.2 |
Indiana State | 1 | 6.2 |
Wake Forest | 1 | 6.2 |
USC | 1 | 6.2 |
Northern Colorado | 1 | 6.2 |
Who is reunited with a former teammate in Los Angeles?
The Lakers have a new-look roster, but several players are reuniting with former teammates.
Luka Doncic played with Quentin Grimes for part of the 2024-25 season in Dallas before the Mavericks shockingly traded their superstar to Los Angeles. They sent Grimes to Philadelphia shortly after trading Doncic.
Luka was also teammates with Jaden Hardy for three years in Dallas. Hardy was just starting out, but he showed flashes of his shooting and scoring chops playing next to the superstar.
Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton played together for three years on the Utah Jazz, with Jarred Vanderbilt joining the duo for part of the 2022-23 season. The Jazz eventually traded all three players.
Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams spent two years playing together in Memphis. The Lakers defeated Memphis in the playoffs in the first season, and things went disastrously the following year. After that, both players were traded away in short order.
Ziaire Williams and Bronny James were high school teammates at Sierra Canyon.
Dalton Knecht played his senior year at the University of Tennessee with freshman Cameron Carr. Knecht was the star in college, with Carr barely playing. The script is flipped on the Lakers. LA is excited about the rookie and ready to move on from Knecht.
From which state does each player on the Lakers' roster hail?
Using Basketball-Reference, this is the state the player was born in. This is a diverse group with no more than two players being from the same state. 12 different states are represented. Luka Doncic is the only internationally born player on the roster this season.
State | # of Players | Players |
|---|---|---|
Georgia | 2 | Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton |
California | 2 | Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia |
Texas | 2 | Quentin Grimes, Jarred Vanderbilt |
Arkansas | 1 | Austin Reaves |
Arizona | 1 | Matisse Thybulle |
Utah | 1 | Adou Thiero |
Michigan | 1 | Jaden Hardy |
Minnesota | 1 | Cameron Carr |
Ohio | 1 | Bronny James |
North Dakota | 1 | Dalton Knecht |
Wisconsin | 1 | Kevon Looney |
New York | 1 | Sandro Mamukelashvili |
International | 1 | Luka Doncic |
Who has the most playoff experience on the Lakers?
Kevon Looney is the only player on the Lakers roster who has won a championship. Loon picked up three with the Golden State Warriors during their dynasty. Playoff experience only counts if the player appeared in a postseason game that season. That means Luka only gets credit for five because he didn't play in the 2026 playoffs.
Player | Years of Exp. | Titles | Furthest advance |
|---|---|---|---|
Kevon Looney | 5 | 3 | Title |
Luka Doncic | 5 | 0 | NBA Finals |
Jarred Vanderbilt | 5 | 0 | Conference Finals |
Austin Reaves | 4 | 0 | Conference Finals |
Matisse Thybulle | 4 | 0 | Second Round |
Ziaire Williams | 2 | 0 | Second Round |
Quentin Grimes | 2 | 0 | Second Round |
Dalton Knecht | 2 | 0 | Second Round |
Jaden Hardy | 1 | 0 | NBA Finals |
Adou Thiero | 1 | 0 | Second Round |
Jake LaRavia | 1 | 0 | Second Round |
Bronny James | 1 | 0 | Second Round |
Sandro Mamukelashvili | 1 | 0 | First Round |
Collin Sexton | 0 | 0 | None |
Walker Kessler | 0 | 0 | None |
Cameron Carr | 0 | 0 | None |
At which position do the Lakers have the most money invested in?
The Lakers are heavily invested in their backcourt. The positions and contract figures from Spotrac were used in this calculation.
Position | Combined cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|
Full Roster | $200.8 million | 121.7 |
Guards | $128.1 million | 77.6 |
Forwards | $27.2 million | 16.4 |
Center | $45.5 million | 27.5 |
Who was the Lakers' leading scorer in the year each player on the roster was born?
Current players | Year | Lakers' top scorer |
|---|---|---|
Kevon Looney | 1996 | Cedric Ceballos |
Matisse Thybulle | 1997 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Austin Reaves | 1998 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Luka Doncic, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jarred Vanderbilt | 1999 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Quentin Grimes | 2000 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht | 2001 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Jaden Hardy | 2002 | Shaquille O'Neal |
Cameron Carr, Adou Thiero, Bronny James | 2004 | Kobe Bryant |
The Los Angeles Lakers have revamped their roster around Luka Doncic this summer. LeBron James made his NBA debut before three players on the current roster were born. Kevon Looney is the only player over 30 years old on their squad. The goals of getting younger and more athletic were clearly accomplished.
The Lakers are eager to chase a championship with Luka leading the charge. This roster was built for multiple years together, so get used to it. Los Angeles is betting big on Doncic. That got the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 and should go even better for the Lakers.
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