It is the dawn of a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers with LeBron James moving on from the franchise. Making an immediate pivot, the organization has brought in Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Collin Sexton, and Ziaire Williams.
But their two biggest deals were bringing back Austin Reaves and trading for Walker Kessler. Given the nature of the deals, it has pigeonholed them into this roster for the foreseeable future. However, one analyst isn’t too thrilled by that idea.
NBA Analyst Shares Grim Lakers Prediction After Walker Kessler Trade
In order to bring in the former Utah Jazz center, the Lakers gave up two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, alongside first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.
Kessler also signed a four-year, $130 million deal that consumed the majority of the Lakers’ summer cap space, especially when combined with the four-year, $180 million contract for Reaves.
For one of the most respected analysts in the league, though, this move comes with a lot of caveats. Breaking down the deal and what it means for LA moving forward, Zach Lowe had this to say.
“The Lakers paid him $130 million and traded two unprotected first-round picks to get him on their team. I like Walker Kessler as a player. People can go back and listen to the segment I did about why I think this will actually work decently for the Lakers on both ends of the floor,” Lowe said on “The Zach Lowe Show.”
However, even with that optimism, Lowe did not think this would be a seamless move for the franchise. “There is no question that they overpaid for him and are now trapped with this team.” As a result, he believes there are two potential pathways for the Lakers.
Either this is the team, or is there a way to pivot by trading Austin Reaves down the line or something like that, because they’re out of traceable assets because of the Walker Kessler deal.”
But even with those possibilities, there is one major element that is going unaddressed in this entire ordeal. “He’s played no meaningful games in the NBA basically and barely played at all last year.” As a result, the onus is on the star center to prove himself.
“So fairly or not, those assets much like it happened to Mikal Bridges, they’re going to hang around his neck until he proves that he was worth it.” Last season, the Lakers ranked 20th in defensive rating.
With their new-look roster, that number could fall even further, if not for Kessler. As a result, the weight of carrying the defense is going to be almost exclusively on him. However, he has failed to reach the 65-game mark in three of his four years in the league.
That is certainly going to pose an injury risk to someone who is essential to anything the Lakers are trying to achieve this summer. It remains to be seen if their new roster can work it out in the long run.
But for the 17-time NBA champions, the only result that will be tenable with the fan base is a title. And that seems like a stretch, given the current construction and the reliance on a single player to anchor the entire defense.
