The Lakers moved quickly this summer, and one of their biggest bets came almost immediately after LeBron James announced his departure. Los Angeles locked in Walker Kessler on a sign-and-trade deal worth $129.5 million, a splashy commitment to a player whose health history could have scared off plenty of teams.
Rob Pelinka says it didn’t scare the Lakers at all.
On Thursday, Pelinka pushed back on any concern about Kessler’s injury status, pointing to the work the organization did before making the move. Kessler, 25, played only five games last season after left shoulder surgery for a torn labrum, but Pelinka said the team’s medical review left no doubt.
“We did such a deep dive in his medical,” Pelinka said on Thursday. “(Team doctors and sports medicine specialists) had ultra confidence that that was, like, a one-time fix … not a lingering issue or anything other than just getting his shoulder fixed. He’s fully healthy, fully cleared, and we look forward to him playing in a lot of games this year.”
For the Lakers, the appeal went beyond the injury report. Pelinka framed the deal as a matter of supply and demand in a league where big contracts can become anchors if the wrong player gets them. In his view, Kessler is the kind of center teams simply can’t find often enough.
“It goes back to sort of fundamental, economic principles of supply and demand, right?” Pelinka said.
“Twenty-five-year-old two-way centers that are retrofitted perfectly for our two max guys in Luka and Austin just don’t exist. There’s a scarcity of supply.
… And if you look at what you could potentially get in the draft or what is potentially going to come in free agency, those centers just don’t exist. So, when the opportunity comes, and you have a superstar like Luka in your building, you have to seize it.”
That urgency makes sense given how the Lakers approached the center spot before Kessler arrived. The team had been trying to find a reliable big man for Doncic, and Deandre Ayton never became the answer they needed. Pelinka ultimately moved on and handed Kessler the major deal.
Now the spotlight shifts to whether Kessler can make the contract look smart. At 7’2″, he brings the kind of size and two-way profile the Lakers were chasing. In four seasons, the former UNC prospect has averaged 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 70.3% from the field.
He won’t be expected to carry the offense, but the fit should help his scoring naturally. With Doncic and Reaves feeding him open looks and alley-oops, his production on that end could rise.
The bigger assignment is on defense, where the Lakers want him to serve as the paint anchor Anthony Davis once was for the team. If Kessler can bring steady rim protection, the ceiling rises with him.
For now, the Lakers have made their choice and are moving ahead with this core. Pelinka and Redick, at least for the moment, sound satisfied with how the summer unfolded.
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