The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into training camp with a couple of key lineup spots wide open, and head coach JJ Redick isn’t trying to hide it.
With the preseason set to open Oct. 5 on the road against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center, Redick will get his new-look roster together at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo and start sorting through a lot of unanswered questions. The biggest one is simple: who joins Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler in the starting five?
Redick addressed that earlier this week and made the competition sound very real, saying those starting jobs are “up for grabs.” That should make camp and the preseason feel like an extended audition for the Lakers, who will play five preseason games before the regular season begins.
Doncic, Reaves and Kessler are locked in as starters, and that much has already been established. The intrigue comes with the final two spots, where the roster now gives Redick several different directions to explore.
Right now, the cleanest fit might be the veteran additions Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Grimes already has familiarity with Doncic from their time together on the Dallas Mavericks, while Mamukelashvili brings a blend of floor spacing and interior work that gives him a real case.
But nothing is settled yet, and that’s the point. Training camp and the preseason could still shake up the picture before the Lakers open the regular season against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.
A few other names could push their way into the conversation, too. Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Adou Thiero are all in the mix, and each offers something different. What could separate them is defense, where their effort may help them stand out over the next few weeks.
In Other News...
Lakers Bring Back Familiar Faces With Two-Way Spots Suddenly In Play
The Lakers have filled a couple of training camp openings by bringing back two familiar names, signing William Kyle III and Cole Swider to Exhibit 10 contracts. Both players now get a chance to spend camp in the same building where roster spots are being sorted out, and both will have a path to stay in the mix if they can turn that opportunity into something more.
What makes the move more interesting is how quickly the two-way picture has opened up around them. Los Angeles recently waived two other players on Exhibit 10 deals to create space, and that leaves Kyle and Swider positioned to compete for one of the spots that can still change a fringe players outlook in a hurry. For a team still sorting through the edges of its roster, those kinds of camp battles can matter just as much as the names already locked in. [Read more 🡒]
Walker Kessler Trade Came After Utah Faced A Serious Threat
Walker Kesslers arrival in Los Angeles came after a tense stretch in Utah, where the Jazz were trying to keep one of their most valuable young bigs in place while weighing the cost of a major extension. The Lakers landed him through a sign-and-trade package built around two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, a price that underscores how aggressively they moved to bring in a center with real long-term value.
Kessler ended up on a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers after reportedly passing on a five-year, $140 million offer from Utah, a choice that adds another layer to how the deal unfolded. Rob Pelinka also said Kessler is fully healthy after shoulder surgery, which only heightens the interest in what Los Angeles believes it added, even as the full story behind Utahs urgency continues to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Reaves Could Not Hide What LeBron's Exit Meant To Him
LeBron James departure after eight seasons with the Lakers landed hard inside the locker room, and Austin Reaves did not try to mask it. Reaves, who developed a close relationship with James, spoke openly about how much the veteran meant to him as both a teammate and a mentor, a reminder of how much of last seasons identity was built around the two of them sharing the floor and the day-to-day rhythm that came with it.
Now Reaves is staring at a bigger role in Los Angeles heading into next season, with the Lakers needing more from him on and off the ball. Meanwhile, James heads to Philadelphia on a two-year deal, where the 76ers suddenly look every bit like a superteam alongside Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown, leaving the Lakers to figure out what life looks like without one of the leagues defining figures. [Read more 🡒]