Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jul 13

Austin Reaves Discusses $180 Million Lakers Deal as LeBron James Exit Reshapes Team

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jul 13

Austin Reaves Discusses $180 Million Lakers Deal as LeBron James Exit Reshapes Team

Q: Will Walker Kessler's defense justify his $130 million contract and anchor the new-look Lakers' title aspirations?

Probably not by himself, but he can justify the deal if he stays healthy and gives the Lakers an elite defensive floor every night. The Lakers clearly paid for a specific role. Kessler’s four-year, $130 million sign-and-trade deal, plus the draft assets sent to Utah, shows they see him as the rim protector and rebounder this roster lacked. That fits directly with a Luka Doncic-led team: Kessler does not need to score much if he protects the paint, finishes lobs, screens well and cleans the glass. His past production and reputation support that bet, and his medical clearance after shoulder surgery removes at least some immediate concern. The harder question is whether that defense alone can anchor title hopes. That is a much higher bar. Kessler has not yet proved it in playoff basketball or on a deep-winning team, and the Lakers are also asking a reshaped roster to build chemistry quickly around Doncic and Austin Reaves in the first post-LeBron season. Even strong rim protection does not solve every issue, especially perimeter defense, shooting consistency and late-game creation. So the contract can be justified if Kessler delivers top-tier interior defense and stays available. But whether that turns the Lakers into a real contender depends on more than him. He looks like a necessary piece of the new identity, not a sufficient one on his own.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 13

$180 million made Austin Reaves the NBA's highest-paid undrafted player, and he said Monday he still has not fully processed starting a Lakers season without LeBron James.
James' departure after eight years leaves Reaves with a bigger leadership role alongside Luka Doncic on a roster he called "completely different."
Four years at $180 million, slightly below the initially reported $185 million framework, gives Los Angeles added future cap flexibility, including a path to use the non-taxpayer midlevel exception next summer.
Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili met coaches and scrimmaged in Las Vegas as the Lakers begin replacing production lost with James and other departed starters.