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Why Lakers’ all-in Walker Kessler trade bet will destroy Luka Doncic era
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- Why Lakers’ all-in Walker Kessler trade bet will destroy Luka Doncic era
Why Lakers' all-in Walker Kessler trade bet will destroy Luka Doncic era appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Lakers recently made a huge splash by trading two first-round picks and two future pick swaps in a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler , whom they then signed to a massive contract. It's a quick pivot from a front office that recently learned that LeBron James will not be returning to the Lakers in free agency.
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Still, while the Kessler signing undoubtedly gives the Lakers a big boost in the frontcourt, it also has high risk potential to derail any chance that Los Angeles has of building a sustainable contender around Luka Doncic in the prime years of his career.
The biggest reason that the Kessler trade could potentially backfire is the sheer amount of assets that Los Angeles gave up to bring in the big man. The Lakers now don't have any tradeable draft picks for the next several years, and the team isn't exactly brimming with young talent to begin with. They will also now be devoting a significant chunk of their salary cap to Kessler, and that, when paired with the contracts of Doncic and Austin Reaves , doesn't leave Rob Pelinka much room to build a strong team around them.
Pelinka attempted to do just that later in the day on Wednesday, going out and signing multiple players in free agency, including Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes . While Sexton and Grimes are solid pieces, they don't do anything to solve the Lakers' biggest need, which is athleticism and versatility on defense. The only player who currently provides that on the roster is Jared Vanderbilt, but his injury history and lack of offensive skills have given him a clear ceiling on this Lakers team.
Pair that with the fact that Kessler has a storied injury history of his own, having played just five games in 2025-26 due to shoulder surgery, and it seems that the juice may not have been worth the squeeze for Los Angeles. Even if Kessler stays healthy and provides the rim protection, rebounding, and paint presence that the Lakers are hoping he will, it's still hard to envision the team morphing into a true contender anytime soon.
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