The Lakers were already Luka Dončić’s team, but now that LeBron James has departed, he is, without question, their biggest star.
This makes pleasing him with the franchise’s direction the highest priority. Given that this is an offseason where a ton of cap space could be created and the Lakers had few players guaranteed to return, the pressure was on the front office to deliver quality moves to improve the team.
According to a report by Dan Woike of The Athletic, Luka has liked what’s happened so far,
particularly the reported trade for Walker Kessler and the team’s ability to keep Austin Reaves.
According to league sources, Luka Dončić was “excited” about the Lakers’ signings, with the team addressing his biggest desires for the roster by keeping Austin Reaves and getting an elite rim-protecting center in Kessler.
Those sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals have not been completed, said the Lakers kept in regular communication with Dončić and his team despite a significant time gap, with the star guard spending his summer in Europe.
Getting these two deals done for the Lakers came at a hefty price.
Trading for Kessler required giving up multiple first-round picks and agreeing to a four-year, $130 million deal. And to keep Reaves will reportedly cost $185 million across four years. Still, if it means Luka is happy, maybe that’s all that matters.
The franchise has gone all in on him, and the two most important things are his happiness and the team’s competitiveness.
Reaves has max talent, and now his money matches his basketball ability. Kessler is a clear upgrade in the frontcourt compared to what LA has played with over the last two seasons.
So not only can the basketball argument be made that these are good moves, but with Luka also wanting them, the choices the Lakers have made are no-brainers.
The Lakers have always been a superstar-friendly team.
They made sure Magic Johnson was happy with the head coaching situation in the 80s. During the Kobe Bryant era, they found him a big so he could win another pair of titles. And even if things ended with LeBron, the Lakers certainly made big moves for him, including trading for Anthony Davis and later, Russell Westbrook in an attempt to win it all.
It’s no surprise Luka is getting the same treatment.
Dončić is happy that the Lakers have the pieces he’s asked for. Once the roster is finalized, he’ll have the ingredients he needs to cook up a title run in LA.
For now, it’s summertime and good vibes are all that’s needed. Dončić is happy, the Lakers should be pleased with their moves and we have plenty of time to see how it all looks in reality in the fall.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
