It has been a whirlwind summer for the Los Angeles Lakers. After learning that LeBron James wouldn’t be returning to the franchise after eight seasons, the team shifted its focus to addressing its roster needs.
Expectations were already sky-high for what LA could accomplish after reportedly selling Dončić on its grand plans for the 2026 offseason. However, now that most of its moves are complete, many remain skeptical about the new-look roster’s ceiling.
NBA Analyst Questions Lakers’ All-In Moves Around Luka Dončić
After James opted to seek greener pastures, the Lakers led all teams in cap space with roughly $52 million to spend. However, between re-signing Austin Reaves and acquiring rim-protecting center Walker Kessler, they exhausted a lot of their resources.
As a result, LA filled out the rest of its roster with role players Collin Sexton, Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Kevon Looney. The roster construction, featuring depth, a star-studded backcourt, and a big man who can anchor the paint, appears to be modeled after the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks.
That team also had Dončić at the helm, but it got demolished in five games by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. To make matters worse, the Western Conference has gotten even tougher since then. As such, it might not be the ideal scenario that LA envisions.
This is where FS1’s Nick Wright believes the team has drastically fallen short. Confessing to his adoration of the Slovenian superstar, he explained his main concern with the way the Lakers have constructed their team around Dončić.
“I don’t look at it as they are building a team for Luka. I look at it as they just built their team for Luka, and that’s what it’s gonna be,” Wright said on Thursday’s edition of “First Things First.” “They are not going to, over the next few transaction cycles, have cap space or draft picks to trade.”
MORE: ‘Luka (Dončić) Can Carry a Team’ — NBA Analyst Makes Bold Prediction for New-Look Lakers
Wright wasn’t sure if the revamped Lakers did enough to emerge as a legitimate contender in a daunting West headlined by two juggernauts in the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“So this team, I understand it doesn’t have to be good enough this year ’cause they can get better. But the way they will get better is little, tiny things around the edges, and players improving,” Wright continued. “It’s not, ‘We have another big move coming.’ And that concerns me.”
“I don’t look at it as they are building a team for Luka. I look at it as, they just built their team for Luka and that’s what it’s gonna be… It’s not, we have another big move coming. And that concerns me.”@getnickwright explains: pic.twitter.com/VAY5Hq60q0
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 9, 2026
Even though an MVP-caliber season from Dončić could keep them near the top of the West, the Lakers are unlikely to overtake either of the top two teams in the conference. Moreover, after parting ways with virtually all of their draft capital, their flexibility is essentially non-existent.
While their roster might keep them competitive every night, they don’t stand out as the cream of the crop in the NBA, potentially setting Dončić and Co. up for disappointment.
