Lakers predicted to reunite Luka Doncic with record-breaking $51 million forward Walker Kessler deal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Completing a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz standout center Walker Kessler, as well as bringing Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili on board, could be the start of what’s to come for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley’s opinion, the Lakers could reunite Luka Doncic with a record-breaking forward in free agency.
“L.A.’s first taste of free agency was defined by defections,” Buckley wrote Thursday. “LeBron James split, Marcus Smart joined the Houston Rockets, and Luke Kennard took his net-shredding talents to the Phoenix Suns.”
“Rui Hachimura was also ‘regarded as increasingly likely’ to follow them out the door, per NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein. But Hachimura hasn’t signed anywhere yet. And some potential landing spots have perhaps dried up with the San Antonio Spurs signing Tobias Harris and the Detroit Pistons adding John Collins.”
“It’s definitely an interesting idea and certainly feels more possible than it did at the start of free agency. The Lakers have to shed money to make a reasonable offer to Hachimura, but if they can get that done, there might be nothing else standing in the way of this reunion.”
There’s a reason why Hachimura is garnering significant interest from contenders following the 2025-26 season. The Gonzaga product was remarkable for the Lakers from beyond the arc in the postseason, shooting 56.9% from deep in 10 playoff contests.
Hachimura now boasts a career three-point shooting percentage of 50.8%, the highest in NBA history. Needless to say, the Lakers know how valuable having an elite floor spacer like Hachimura alongside Doncic is for the franchise’s long-term future, explaining why Los Angeles is still in the mix for the former first-round pick.
It won’t be easy for the Lakers to pull off a reunion, but it certainly isn’t out of the cards.
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