For the first time in nearly a decade, the Lakers will tip off a season without LeBron James on the roster. That sentence would have sounded absurd a few years ago.It is now the beginning of one of the most exciting seasons in the history of the franchise.
So what does a team look like when it rebuilds around one superstar and trades away future picks to do it? This guide covers the roster, the dates worth circling, last year’s finish and the storylines you will hear about all winter. Read it before the first tip-off.
Los Angeles Lakers in 2026: A Roster That Barely Resembles Last Year’s
Ask a casual fan to name the Lakers’ starting five from last spring and they will get maybe three right by October. The front office spent the summer tearing down and rebuilding. The result is a team with a new identity and one clear leader.
Let’s break down how it happened.
The End of the LeBron James Chapter
James signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia 76ers to finish his eight-year tenure in Los Angeles. No farewell tour, no drawn-out saga at the end. He simply picked a new city, and the Lakers moved on.
Fans will feel that. LeBron delivered a championship in 2020 and turned a struggling franchise into a contender again. The Lakers now enter a season without him for the first time since 2017-18.
Still, the front office did not go looking for a replacement star. It already had one.
Luka Doncic Takes Over the Franchise
In his first full season in purple and gold, Doncic led the Lakers to 53 wins, captured his second scoring title and earned First Team All-NBA honors. Those numbers explain why the organization decided to build everything around him.
He is now the unquestioned face of the team. Every offensive possession runs through his hands, and every roster decision this summer traces back to a simple question: does this player make Luka’s life easier?
Doncic has handled it before, and his 2024 Finals run with Dallas suggests he thrives when the supporting cast is asked to fit around him.
The Supporting Cast: Who Came In
The front office was aggressive. Austin Reaves was the only free agent the Lakers re-signed, and the team otherwise remade the roster around Doncic. It used draft-pick trades and cap space to add a wave of new names.
Here is the incoming group and what each brings:
| Player | Position | What He Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Walker Kessler | Center | Rim protection and a lob threat for Luka |
| Quentin Grimes | Guard | Perimeter defense and spot-up shooting |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili | Forward | Floor spacing and passing from the frontcourt |
| Collin Sexton | Guard | Bench scoring and downhill pressure |
| Kevon Looney | Forward | Veteran screening and rebounding |
| Matisse Thybulle | Wing | Elite disruptive defense |
| Cameron Carr | Guard | Young depth and developmental upside |
The full list of additions also includes Jaden Hardy and Ziaire Williams. That makes nine new faces, and the coaching staff has real sorting out to do before opening night.
Why Kessler Is the Big Bet
The most important piece is the center. General manager Rob Pelinka said the goal was to find a franchise big man who fits next to Doncic and Reaves. He argued that 25-year-old two-way centers of this kind barely exist on the market.
Kessler cost draft picks, and some critics did not like the price. He also played only five games last season because of left shoulder surgery, so his health matters more than any other variable on this team.
If he stays on the floor, the Lakers finally have the vertical spacing and interior defense they lacked last spring. If he does not, the whole plan gets shaky fast.
A New Ownership Era Too
Noted that the franchise was sold for the second time in 10 months, adding another layer to an already busy summer. Reports put the valuation at roughly $12.5 billion.
Ownership headlines rarely change what happens on the court. But they shape how patient a front office can be with a rebuild, and that will matter if the early results wobble.
Lakers Schedule 2026-27: The Dates Worth Circling
Every season has 82 games, but only a handful become appointments. The Lakers schedule this year offers a few obvious ones, plus a stretch in January that could quietly decide their playoff seeding.
Here is a quick look at the key dates before we go deeper.
| Date | Matchup | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wed, Oct 21 | Warriors at Lakers | Season opener at Crypto.com Arena |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Lakers at Warriors | Emirates NBA Cup group play begins |
| Fri, Dec 25 | 76ers at Lakers | LeBron’s first game back in LA |
| Tue, Jan 26 | Thunder at Lakers | First meeting since the playoff sweep |
| Sun, Feb 28 | Lakers at Mavericks | Luka returns to Dallas |
Opening Week: A Soft Landing
On Wednesday, October 21, the Lakers play their first game at home against the Golden State Warriors. The game tips at 7:00 PM Pacific and airs on ESPN. It marks the second straight year these two teams begin the season against each other.
There is a small twist. It is the first time since 2018-19 that the Lakers were not part of the NBA’s Opening Night. That is a tiny dent in the brand’s prime-time armor, and the league still slotted the game into its opening week primetime lineup.
The rest of October is friendly. Four of the first six games sit within a short flight of Los Angeles, which gives a new roster time to build chemistry without brutal travel.
The Emirates NBA Cup Run
The Lakers won the in-season tournament once already, and they want another. They landed in West Group C with the Spurs, Warriors, Trail Blazers and Kings.
Group play starts on Friday, October 30, with a road game against the Warriors. Each team plays four group games on Fridays through late November, and only the group winners plus one wildcard per conference advance.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be held in team markets rather than Las Vegas. A home-court knockout game at Crypto.com Arena would be a real advantage for a team with Doncic’s gravity.
Christmas Day Belongs to LeBron’s Return
Circle December 25 in red ink. The 76ers visit the Lakers at 5:00 PM Eastern, which is 2:00 PM in Los Angeles, on ABC and ESPN. It is James’s first game back in the city since leaving.
Expect a video tribute, an emotional crowd and a lot of camera time on the bench. It is also the Lakers’ 28th consecutive Christmas Day appearance.
The scheduling gods were kind around it. The Lakers play five straight home games from December 21 through 29, including Denver on Prime Video two nights before Christmas.
The January Road Trip That Could Define the Season
Every schedule has one stretch that scares coaches. For the Lakers, it starts January 28. They play seven consecutive road games in twelve days: Indiana, New York, Charlotte, Boston, Brooklyn, San Antonio and Phoenix.
Three of those games are nationally televised. Two are back-to-backs, and the trip crosses multiple time zones before looping home through Texas and Arizona.
A 4-3 finish would be a solid result. Going 2-5 could push the team out of the top-six conversation in the West.
Back-to-Backs and National TV
The schedule includes 15 back-to-backs, up slightly from 14 last season, and 34 national TV games. Age was a problem for last year’s team, so rest management will be a season-long storyline.
The younger roster should help. Still, watch how Redick handles Doncic’s minutes in the second night of a back-to-back, especially in March.
Lakers Games: What to Watch and How to Catch Them
Not every Lakers game deserves your Tuesday night. Some are rivalry theater, some are matchup chess and some are just 48 minutes of basketball on a quiet weeknight. Here is how to sort them.
National broadcasts cover a large slice of the schedule, and the rest run on regional partners.
Three Lakers Games That Will Tell You the Truth
Start with the Thunder on January 26. Oklahoma City swept the Lakers 4-0 in last year’s conference semifinals, and this is the first chance to answer that. Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s top two scorers last year, go head to head.
Next is the Mavericks on February 28. Doncic’s return to Dallas is always appointment television. The emotion is old by now, but the crowd still makes the night loud.
Third, the Christmas game against Philadelphia. It is emotional, sure, but it is also a real test against a team with a Hall of Fame forward.
How to Follow Lakers Games Without Missing Anything
You have several options, and most fans end up combining them.
- National TV: ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock and Prime Video carry the marquee matchups.
- NBA Cup nights: Group play games stream on Prime Video.
- Local coverage: Check the team’s official site for regional broadcast details.
- Live scores: The NBA app and ESPN update in real time.
- Highlights: Team and league social channels post clips within minutes.
Tip times can shift for national broadcasts, so check the listing a few days ahead before making plans.
Lakers Standings: Where Last Season Left Them
The season has not started, so there are no live Lakers standings to report yet. What we do have is last year’s finish, and it tells you a lot about what this team needs to fix.
Here is the snapshot.
| 2025-26 Category | Result |
|---|---|
| Regular-season record | 53-29 |
| Western Conference seed | 4th |
| Playoff result | Lost in conference semifinals |
| Opponent | Oklahoma City Thunder (swept 4-0) |
| Scoring title | Luka Doncic (second in a row) |
The Lakers finished 53-29, fourth in the West, and lost in the conference semifinals. That is a strong regular season followed by a rough ending against the eventual powerhouse in the conference.
The sweep exposed the same problem all year: too few reliable options beyond the top two or three players.
What the Numbers Say About the Bench
ESPN’s Dean Oliver pointed out a striking split. Last season’s starters produced a +4.6 net rating, ninth best, but the bench came in at -2.9, the 10th worst, and that drop was the biggest in the league.
That is the clearest reason the front office spent the summer stocking the second unit. Grimes, Sexton, Looney and Thybulle all target that weakness.
The trade-off is that the starting group lost James. So the gap may shrink, but the top-end punch also gets smaller.
Where the Experts Rank Them
Expectations are measured.’s post-free-agency power rankings placed the Lakers at No. 11. That is a respectable spot and a clear sign nobody is handing them the conference.
The West is stacked. The Thunder remain the standard, and San Antonio and Denver are formidable. A top-four seed would count as a win for this roster, and anything higher needs Kessler healthy and Doncic dominant.
How to Track the Standings All Year
Do not just check the seed. Look at these numbers instead:
- Net rating, which tells you if wins are real or lucky.
- Record in games decided by five points or fewer.
- Bench minutes and bench net rating.
- Record against playoff teams.
- Games Kessler and Doncic play together.
These five signals will predict the second half better than the win-loss column alone.
Lakers News: The Storylines That Will Shape the Season
Every offseason creates a set of questions that only games can answer. Here are the ones most likely to dominate Lakers news from October to April.
Can the Fit Work With So Many New Faces?
Nine additions is a lot for any team. Even good players need time to learn spacing, timing and each other’s habits. Expect some ugly nights in October and November.
Pelinka is confident. He said he wants young players who can dribble, pass and shoot in the way coach JJ Redick wants. That describes a clear philosophy, and it fits how modern offenses work.
The Reaves Contract and the Money Behind It
Reaves stayed. The Lakers re-signed him to a four-year, $184.7 million-range deal, a huge commitment that ties him to Doncic through the prime of both careers.
Alongside him, Pelinka handed out several long-term contracts. Grimes got four years and $60 million, Mamukelashvili four years and $52 million, and Sexton two years and $19 million.
Those deals give the team stability. They also reduce flexibility if the fit turns sour, so the front office has essentially locked in its bet.
Draft Picks Are Gone
The criticism is fair. Pelinka and the Lakers absorbed some heat for parting with multiple future draft picks. Without picks, the team cannot easily reload through the draft.
Supporters argue Doncic’s prime is now, and a superstar in his mid-twenties should not wait. Critics say the margin for error is thin. Both sides have a point.
Redick’s Growth as a Coach
JJ Redick enters another season with a roster more aligned with his tastes. The last group was older and clunkier. This one is built around pace, shooting and switching defense.
That means the pressure is on him too. A new rotation, a new center and a new bench are all his to manage. Watch how he staggers Doncic and Reaves early.
Fans Are Watching the Health Report
Injuries will decide this season more than any tactic. Kessler’s shoulder, Doncic’s workload and the age of the veterans will all show up in the injury reports.
Bookmark the team’s official channels and one reliable beat reporter. That gives you faster, cleaner updates than scrolling social media.
Lakers Quick Facts
For newer fans, here is a compact reference for the franchise.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Team | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Home arena | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles |
| Championships | 17 |
| Head coach | JJ Redick |
| President of basketball operations | Rob Pelinka |
| Franchise cornerstone | Luka Doncic |
| Last season | 53-29, lost in conference semifinals |
| 2026-27 opener | Oct 21 vs Golden State Warriors |
| Christmas Day opponent | Philadelphia 76ers |
The franchise began in Minneapolis and moved to Los Angeles in 1960. Few teams in sports carry as much history, which explains why every roster move gets dissected instantly.
Pro Tips for Following the Lakers This Season
You do not have to watch all 82 games to stay informed. Use this simple routine.
- Watch the marquee national games live, especially the Thunder and Christmas matchups.
- Read one post-game recap per week for context.
- Check standings on the first of each month rather than daily.
- Follow injury reports before buying tickets.
- Track the trade deadline, since this roster may need one more move.
Casual fans get the best experience by picking their spots. Die-hards will want all of it, and this season gives them plenty.
