Lakers Build Around Luka Dončić After LeBron James’ Exit as $12.5 Billion Sale Awaits Approval

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers are rebuilding around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves after LeBron James left for the Philadelphia 76ers, while the franchise awaits NBA approval of a record $12.5 billion sale. Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick outlined the ownership and roster changes Thursday at the team’s training facility.

Pelinka said the Lakers’ offseason plan had three priorities: retain Reaves, acquire a franchise center and add younger players suited to Redick’s system. Reaves signed a four-year, $180 million contract, the largest ever secured by an undrafted player in NBA history. He entered the league on a two-way contract out of Oklahoma in 2021.

The team’s bid for a defensive anchor brought 7-foot-1 center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster sign-and-trade. Los Angeles sent Utah two unprotected first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps, then signed Kessler to a four-year, $130 million contract extension.

The third part of the plan was to add depth with what Pelinka called “dribble-pass-shoot” players for Redick’s motion-heavy offensive system. The additions include guards Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Collin Sexton; defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle; forwards Ziaire Williams and Sandro Mamukelashvili; and veteran center Kevon Looney. The moves lower the roster’s average age to approximately 26 or 27.

“We wanted to retain Austin Reaves. That was a really big thing for us,” Pelinka said. “We wanted to find a way to acquire a franchise center and then we wanted to develop a roster of JJ Redick dribble-pass-shoot players that were younger and add depth to our roster. That was sort of our three-prong thesis basketball-wise for the offseason, and we felt like we accomplished all those things.”

James departed Los Angeles on June 30 to sign a free-agent contract with Philadelphia as he entered his 24th NBA season. His exit ended an eight-year Lakers tenure and his longest run with any single NBA franchise, surpassing both of his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his four years with the Miami Heat.

James joined the Lakers in 2018 and led them to the 2020 NBA championship. The team also reached the Western Conference Finals in 2023 and the second round of the 2026 playoffs, where it was eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Pelinka described negotiations with James as diplomatic and amicable, saying the departure was handled “professionally and honestly” on both sides.

“I thought it would be appropriate at the front to express gratitude for the LeBron era here,” Pelinka said. “Clearly, new team and new players, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. But we as an organization are still grateful for the run that we had with him here. The Lakers have become—as they should—a perennial playoff team… It was a great era, and we’re grateful for it.”

The ownership deal is awaiting formal approval from the NBA Board of Governors. The proposed buyer group is led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and billionaire investor Joshua Kushner; Pelinka confirmed that preliminary meetings with both have taken place.

“We have had introductory meetings with Bob and Josh, and those have been excellent,” Pelinka said, adding that league rules restrict further public comment while the transaction is pending. “With a pending transaction, we’re not at liberty to talk more about that under league rules. But we’ve had preliminary discussions with them that have been really, really positive. In terms of day-to-day, nothing’s changed. We’re operating with Lakers excellence.”

The pending sale marks a swift exit for Los Angeles Dodgers owner and Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter, who acquired the Lakers just a year ago. At $12.5 billion, the deal would set a record for a professional sports franchise, more than tripling the previous NBA high of $4 billion, paid by Mat Ishbia for the Phoenix Suns in 2023, and more than doubling the $6.05 billion sale of the NFL’s Washington Commanders to Josh Harris’s group.