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Bruski 150SportsEthos 2026 Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide
Fantasy Basketball Draft Guide 2026: Los Angeles Lakers Team Preview
Last Updated on August 30, 2026 4:34 am by Mike Passador | Published: August 30, 2026
How’d We Get Here?
The Lakers’ latest attempt at a Big 3 was foiled by injury. LeBron James’ season was delayed by sciatica and he later battled joint arthritis — a bit too on the nose for the league’s elder statesman — while the Lakers were missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves by the time the playoffs rolled around. Some shrewd deadline additions helped the Lakers click into place and JJ Redick did a nice coaching job in getting the team to look like a contender despite injury absences and some missing roster ingredients but in the end they simply did not have the horses to compete with the Western Conference’s true contenders, especially with Doncic missing the entire postseason run. A valiant LeBron-led effort (with a tip of the cap to Marcus Smart) resulted in a first-round win over the listless Rockets but the Lakers ran out of gas after that. The summer brought significant change as James saw the writing on the wall and left to author his final chapter in Philadelphia, turning the keys to the car over to Doncic. Reaves signed a massive extension to stay and the Lakers cashed in on most of their draft capital to acquire Walker Kessler from the Jazz, securing an elite defensive presence after the Deandre Ayton gambit flopped. The Lakers were aggressive in free agency with LeBron’s salary off the books and added Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Kevon Looney and Matisse Thybulle, transforming their bench and likely grabbing at least one starter in that group as well. It’s a much deeper team but there are still plenty of questions to answer, though the Lakers will take their chances with Doncic leading the charge.
For a full recap of last season to set the table, check out our Los Angeles Lakers Season Wrap!
The Los Angeles Lakers Season Wrap
Offseason Moves
Arrivals: Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, Kevon Looney, Jaden Hardy
Rookie Arrivals: Cameron Carr (No. 24), AK Okereke (UDFA 2W), Arthur Kaluma (UDFA 2W)
Departures: LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber, Nick Smith Jr., Drew Timme
Retained: Austin Reaves, Chris Mañon (2W)
Depth Chart and Minutes Per Game
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Mike graduated from Boston University’s Dual Degree Program with a BA in Economics and a BS in Business with Concentrations in Marketing and Operations Management. He is a faithful supporter of Toronto sports and the Detroit Lions and is always ready to be let down. Tweet to him @Mike_Pandador, but if you badmouth Jose Calderon you might get blocked.
