The Los Angeles Lakers shelled out a whopping $182 million this offseason, bringing in Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili, but there’s already a huge question mark hanging over new head coach JJ Redick’s head: can these two massive acquisitions even play together? It was an eventful summer for the Lake Show with plenty of moving parts, and it remains totally unclear if these changes will actually pay off.
Pelinka’s Big Money Gambles
The Lakers opened free agency with a bang, trying to remake their roster after LeBron James left. Their first big move was a blockbuster trade, acquiring Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. And man, did they pay a price: unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, plus first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Then they doubled down, signing power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili. NBA.com reported that Mamukelashvili, all 6’9″, 240 pounds of him, played in 80 games, starting 13, for Toronto in the 2025-26 season. He put up career highs with 11.2 points and 21.9 minutes per game, along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Plus, he was shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep, which is legit. Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal, and Mamukelashvili inked a four-year, $52 million contract. That’s a serious investment in frontcourt talent.
The Redick Dilemma: Can These Two Coexist?
On paper, getting Kessler and Mamukelashvili means more size and shooting up front for the Lakers. Sounds good, right? But Maxwell Ogden from Lake Show Life sees a serious problem brewing, believing GM Rob Pelinka has “backed Lakers head coach JJ Redick into a corner” with these signings. Ogden pointed to “a number of signs that point to that duo being unable to coexist.” That’s a rather daunting possibility given the contracts. Kessler is expected to be the starting center, which makes sense. But with no established starting power forward, Mamukelashvili could step right into that starting role alongside him. Here’s the kicker though: if these two bigs can’t share the floor effectively, Redick might have to move Mamukelashvili into a bench role to lead the second unit.
It’s still early, and we don’t know for sure if playing them together will be a headache. But this is definitely one of the most interesting storylines to watch as the season kicks off. If Redick can’t figure out how to make it work, it could spell huge trouble for him and the Lakers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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