The first look at NBA 2K27 is already giving Lakers fans a small taste of what the new season might look like, and the spotlight lands on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
On Tuesday, the game’s gameplay trailer dropped with Doncic and Reaves both featured in quick-hit clips. Doncic is shown delivering a no-look pass to Reaves in a sequence built around slick ball movement from around the league. Reaves gets his own moment too, knocking down a three-pointer, while Doncic is also seen defending Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The trailer closes with a very brief shot of Doncic and Reaves, apparently celebrating a game-winning basket, with what appears to be Sandro Mamukelashvili and Walker Kessler in the background.
That limited Lakers presence fits the way these trailers usually work. NBA 2K tends to tease the new season piece by piece, often using the gameplay trailer to show off players in their updated uniforms.
That matters this year more than usual, with so many stars changing teams ahead of the 2026-27 season. LeBron James is among the many players set to wear a different jersey, as he’ll be with the Philadelphia 76ers next season.
The offseason shuffle has been massive across the league, with names like Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, Kawhi Leonard, LaMelo Ball, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Walker Kessler, Luguentz Dort, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Tobias Harris, Miles Bridges and Paul George all listed among players moving on to new teams. Kawhi Leonard is still pending.
For the Lakers, though, the trailer only clearly shows Doncic and Reaves. That means fans still haven’t gotten a look at most of the team’s newcomers in purple and gold, including Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Jaden Hardy and Cameron Carr.
The bigger reveal for Lakers fans will come when the player ratings are released. That’s always one of the most watched parts of the NBA 2K rollout, and it should be especially interesting in Los Angeles with so many new faces on the roster.
Doncic is usually near the top of the ratings list, and after last season, he has a real shot to be right there again. He finished NBA 2K26 with a 97 overall rating after the 2025-26 season, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who were both at 98. Victor Wembanyama, one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K27 alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose, was tied with Doncic at 97.
Reaves checked in at 87 last year. Among the other Lakers still on the roster for the upcoming season, pending any trades, are Jarred Vanderbilt at 76, Jake LaRavia at 76, Dalton Knecht at 74, Bronny James at 71, Adou Thiero at 70 and Chris Manon at 68.
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The problem for Ayton has always been the same one that has followed him around his career: the good stretches have not come often enough. His value has been shaped as much by inconsistency as by production, which is part of why the Lakers moved on and why Reaves comments reopened a memory that still stings for Rockets fans who watched Ayton tilt that matchup before the rest of the postseason went sideways. [Read more 🡒]