The scoreboard still reads 0-0, the only certainty before the Warriors visit on October 21. Everything else about this roster — what it owes, what it nets, who it leans on — already carries a number.
The Number One Option
Luka Doncic, 27, enters his eighth NBA season and his first full year in Los Angeles since the February 2025 trade that brought him west. Last season he averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds across 64 games, shooting 36.6 percent from three. Those are the numbers Redick is building his offense around, with Austin Reaves's 23.3 points and 5.5 assists running the second line.
A Middling Net Rating
Last season's 53-29 record came with a plus-1.5 net rating, the product of a 117.0 offensive mark, ranked 10th in the league, and a 115.5 defensive mark that ranked 19th, at a pace of 99.2 possessions. A winning record built on that split is the kind of math that puts the pressure on whatever the defense does differently this time. None of it counts yet: the Lakers play four preseason games, at Sacramento on October 5 and 6, then home against the Kings on October 8 and the Warriors on October 13, before the regular-season opener against Golden State on October 21.
Thin Margins, Heavy Minutes
The roster's payroll sits at $204.0 million, already above the league's $200.4 million luxury threshold, led by Doncic's $49.8 million and Reaves's $41.2 million. Walker Kessler, due $30.2 million, played just five games last season, averaging 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in that stretch. Luke Kennard is logging 32.6 minutes a night over his last 10 games, nearly 10 more than his season mark, and Rui Hachimura added 11 extra minutes a night over a three-game run with a teammate out — both signs of how little cushion this rotation carries. Quentin Grimes (13.4 points on 33.4 percent shooting from three) and Collin Sexton (15.4 points, a team-best 40.1 percent from deep) round out the bench scoring picture.
What is the Lakers' payroll for 2026-27?
The Lakers are carrying a $204.0 million payroll, already above the league's $200.4 million luxury threshold, led by Luka Doncic's $49.8 million salary.
How many games did Walker Kessler play last season?
Kessler played just five games last season, averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and a 75.0 three-point percentage in that stretch.
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