The Lakers have spent this stretch of roster building making one thing clear: this is not a one-move offseason. After pulling off the huge all-in trade for Walker Kessler, they stayed active in free agency and added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, giving the roster a very different look around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The newest additions don’t come with star billing, but they do come with purpose. Kessler handles the rim protection and rebounding. Grimes, Sexton, and Mamukelashvili each fill a different gap that the Lakers still had after the trade, and together they make the roster more balanced than it was entering free agency.
Grimes is the first piece of that puzzle. He is signing a four-year, $60.0 million deal after spending last season with the 76ers on his QO.
Philadelphia had moved Jared McCain to open room to keep him, but after the 76ers signed Dean Wade to a four-year deal, Grimes became an unrestricted free agent and landed in Los Angeles. Last season, he averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 45.0% from the field and 33.4% from three.
The Lakers are paying for a player who can defend, move the ball, and contribute without needing the offense built around him.
Sexton arrives on a two-year, $19.0 million contract, and he gives the Lakers something they were missing: a guard who can turn the corner, get into the paint, and score efficiently. After his Hornets-Bulls stint last season, he averaged 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 68 games, shot 48.5% overall and 40.1% from deep, and finished 64.7% of his attempts from within three feet of the basket.
He’s not a pure point guard, and there are times when the scoring takes over, but that kind of edge fits what this group needs. At $9.5 million per year, the contract is a clean fit.
Mamukelashvili, who had already agreed to a four-year, $52.0 million deal after opting out of his $2.8 million contract with the Raptors, adds a different kind of value. He brings a stretch big behind Kessler, which matters for a team that just committed so heavily to a non-shooting center.
Last season with Toronto, he posted 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field and 38.9% from three. With a $13 million salary next season, the expectations will be real, especially if he’s stepping into a Rui Hachimura-type role.
The broader idea is easy to read. Kessler solves the defense and gives the Lakers a real pick-and-roll center, but he doesn’t create shots.
That responsibility now gets spread across several players instead of being forced onto one answer. Grimes can help keep the offense moving.
Sexton can attack downhill and bring bench scoring. Mamukelashvili can space the floor and add frontcourt shooting.
The front office seems to be building around Doncic by dividing up the job that once sat on one player’s shoulders. Kessler brings the defense, Grimes brings two-way guard play, Sexton brings scoring punch, and Mamukelashvili brings shooting up front. The Lakers are also betting that Grimes can handle the Marcus Smart role, with a shooting touch that can influence the game like Luke Kennard.
There are still obvious questions. The Lakers remain light on wing size, and it’s fair to wonder how the defense will hold up with Doncic and Reaves carrying so much of the offense. Bronny James could also see more minutes this season, with the team needing a high-motor player who can bring defense, spot-up shooting, and energy.
Even so, this looks like a plan rather than a pile of names. Between the Kessler trade and these signings, the Lakers have built a roster that gives Doncic a rim-running center, a two-way wing defender, a downhill scorer, and a stretch big man. More moves could still come, but the direction is already obvious.
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