The Los Angeles Lakers reset their operation in a roughly 35-minute span after LeBron James informed the team he would continue his career elsewhere, according to ESPN. James told the Lakers Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., six hours before teams could begin contacting outside free agents. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss released a statement thanking James for eight years with the franchise, and James posted an appreciative message on X, according to ESPN.
With much of the league spending on Day 1, the Lakers held about $52 million in cap space and remained built around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves while plenty of roster holes persisted, ESPN reported. The team appears to have been waiting for a major domino before making multiple moves.
In roughly 35 minutes on Wednesday morning, L.A. agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz for center Walker Kessler and then signed unrestricted free agents Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton in quick succession, according to ESPN.
The net effect is a noticeably younger Lakers roster than last season’s, while veteran role players Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard signed elsewhere with the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns, respectively; ESPN described the revamped roster as unproven.
On James’ decision, a source told ESPN that he felt “it was time to move on” and wanted to extend his career playing “meaningful, competitive basketball.” Multiple team sources told ESPN there was no personal rift between James and Doncic, though on-court growing pains existed. Sources said a disconnect between James and the organization began during the 2021-22 season following the Russell Westbrook trade, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported James prioritized his basketball happiness in seeking his next situation.
The Lakers’ interest in Kessler predates Anthony Davis’ public requests for a center, with L.A. inquiring as far back as early in the 2023-24 season, sources told ESPN. Earlier approaches were rebuffed because Utah’s asking price was too steep. The deal came together after Doncic directed the front office to find an “A-list” center and Utah had more motivation to move Kessler as he became a restricted free agent seeking a large raise. The Jazz reportedly offered Kessler a five-year, $140 million extension, sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and opted to build around No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and draft assets from L.A. rather than overpay long term.
