The Los Angeles Lakers are fresh off two straight 50-win seasons under Head Coach JJ Redick, but forget all that, because President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka just blew up the roster in a BIG way. After LeBron James’ exit, Pelinka swung a massive trade to bring in Walker Kessler as their center of the future. The cost? Two first-round draft picks and two unprotected first-round pick swaps heading back to the Utah Jazz. That’s a whole lot of future for one guy!
New Faces, Bold Talk, and a Whole Lotta Uncertainty
The Lakers clearly want to build around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, and they’ve stacked the roster with new supporting players who can dribble, pass, and shoot. After an offseason trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia, the whole squad seems “bought in” on this new vision. But let’s be real, a total overhaul means a ton of new faces. USA TODAY Sports is even predicting a 48-34 record for the 2026-27 season, largely because of that uncertainty and the inevitable growing pains. Austin Reaves didn’t shy away from that reality at media day, saying, “We’re a very new team to one another. And there’s gonna be some growing periods where things aren’t going the way that we want them to go. But that doesn’t change the goal at the end of the day, and that’s to be as competitive as we can every single night.”
Are These “Underrated Competitors” Built for a Title?
Collin Sexton added some serious fuel to the fire, stating, “I think we’re all underrated, if that makes sense, in different aspects. We’re competitors. I feel like we added people that are willing to compete and we added guys that don’t back down to anyone. I know for myself, I’m somebody that’s not gonna back down to any challenge. I’m not gonna back down to anyone. … We’re here.” Talk about bringing the fire! Then Ziaire Williams took it even further, straight up claiming, “We have a bunch of great passers on this team, great shooters, great defensive versatility. I think we have everything we need to win an NBA championship.”
That’s some serious confidence coming from a team with so many new pieces and a significant draft capital investment. The season is just around the corner, and everyone will be watching to see if these Lakers can overcome those predicted growing pains and actually live up to their own championship expectations.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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