The Lakers’ latest move has them staring at the same kind of future the Suns have been living with for a while: a roster built to win now, and a draft cupboard that’s been stripped nearly bare.
Los Angeles jumped into the 2026 offseason with a flurry of activity. LeBron James told the team he’s moving on, Deandre Ayton opted in to his deal, Luke Kennard departed, and the Lakers went out and added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili. But the move that really changed the long view was the sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler, a deal that put the Lakers in a spot that looks a lot like the one Phoenix has created for itself.
The Lakers have now sent out two unprotected first-rounders, in 2031 and 2033, along with first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 as part of the Kessler deal. That leaves them without tradeable first-round picks for the next seven years. On top of that, the Lakers have committed $475 million to Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Kessler.
Phoenix has been working in the same lane. After re-signing Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams, the Suns swung big again by trading Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick to Charlotte for Miles Bridges. They then moved quickly to replace the shooting they gave up by signing Kennard.
The Suns’ draft situation was already rough before the Bridges trade. Now, they do not own their own first-round pick outright until 2032.
That kind of roster construction leaves both teams betting heavily on fit. The Lakers are banking on their new pieces fitting around Dončić. The Suns are doing the same with Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green, with Bridges’ fit sure to draw plenty of attention.
For all the talent on both rosters, neither team looks ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Western Conference’s top-tier groups, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The Suns still have to make decisions on extensions for Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges, both of whom would otherwise become free agents in 2027. And with neither Phoenix nor Los Angeles positioned to lean on the draft to fix mistakes, both franchises are left hoping their current cores can carry the load. Dončić and Booker, in particular, will be counting on the players around them to hold up their end.
In Other News...
Former Suns Big Man Just Cashed In Outside Phoenix
Luke Kennard is now in place on a two-year, $13 million deal to help replace Grayson Allen, but another familiar Suns name just found a bigger payday elsewhere. Jock Landale, who once filled minutes in Phoenixs frontcourt, has landed a new contract after spending enough time around the league to make clear he still has value as a sturdy backup big.
For Suns fans, the more interesting part is what Landales departure says about a position that still invites debate whenever Phoenix looks for depth. There are still arguments to be made about how well he would fit in a second-unit role and whether his style would have worked in the kind of rotation the Suns are trying to build, but that discussion now lives more in the hypothetical than in the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Sent A Brutal Message About Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton choosing to stay put on his $8.1 million player option should have given him a clear runway to carve out a bigger role with the Lakers next season. Instead, Los Angeles immediately followed that decision by adding frontcourt depth in a way that changes the picture around him, with Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili both coming in on significant contracts and giving the roster a very different look up front.
For a player trying to re-establish himself, that kind of spending tells its own story. JJ Redick now has more options in the middle, and Kessler is expected to open as the starting center, which leaves Ayton staring at a more crowded rotation than the one he may have envisioned when he opted in. The Lakers did not need to say much for the message to come through: the next season may not be built around giving Ayton the kind of central role he was hoping for. [Read more 🡒]