The Lakers’ 2026 offseason has brought in enough new faces to make the roster feel almost brand new. But a closer look shows this group is already more connected than it first appears. Several of the pieces Los Angeles has assembled have shared locker rooms before, whether in the NBA, on the international stage, or even back in high school.
One of the clearest links runs through Walker Kessler, who has already crossed paths with multiple Lakers teammates. He and Austin Reaves were both on Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. That U.S. team fell in the semifinals and finished with the bronze medal, but now Reaves and Kessler will try to turn that old partnership into something better in Los Angeles.
Kessler also has a Utah connection with Collin Sexton and Jarred Vanderbilt. All three landed with the Jazz in the summer of 2022, giving them time together before Vanderbilt’s stint ended after half a season when the Lakers traded for him in Feb.
- Sexton and Kessler stayed together in Utah for three seasons, until Sexton was moved to the Charlotte Hornets in the summer of 2025.
Another group with built-in familiarity comes from Dallas. Luka Doncic spent the first six and a half seasons of his career with the Mavericks, and during that stretch he played alongside Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy.
Hardy arrived first after Dallas acquired his draft rights from the Sacramento Kings in 2022. Grimes followed two years later, when the Mavericks got him from the Detroit Pistons in the summer of 2024.
The three were together in Dallas for only half a season before Doncic was traded to the Lakers in Feb. 2025, and Grimes was later sent to the Philadelphia 76ers.
There’s also a Memphis thread on the roster. Ziaire Williams and Jake LaRavia both started their NBA careers with the Grizzlies, who secured Williams’ draft rights in 2021 and LaRavia’s in 2022. They spent two seasons as teammates before Williams was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2024.
And one final connection goes back to prep basketball. Williams and Bronny James were teammates at Sierra Canyon High School.
Williams transferred there in 2019 for his senior year, while James arrived that same year as a freshman. In their lone season together, Sierra Canyon won the CIF-SS Open Division title.
Now they’ll be aiming for a much bigger prize together.
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Lakers Still Have One Lineup Concern Around Luka Doncic
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What happens at the fifth spot is where the uncertainty begins to matter, especially for a team trying to balance skill, size and defensive versatility on the perimeter. Newer additions such as Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle are in the mix, and until the Lakers make a bigger move or get more clarity from within, that final decision may have to come from internal growth rather than a clean roster answer. [Read more 🡒]