There is no doubt about it Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves will be Lakersstarted in the backfield this fall Walker Kessler will be in the middle, but who will join that trio in the starting five? Jovan Buha from the Buha block (Link to video on Twitter) reviews the free agent application Quentin Grimes as a lock for one of the remaining spots and suggests that the fifth player would ideally be someone who can defend multiple positions, is successful on the ball, is a good tackler and is at least 6’7″.
Bukha expresses defensive concern about Sandro Mamukelashvilido not believe Mathis Tiboule checks the bounce size or pitch and is skeptical of one or the other Jared Vanderbilt or Goodbye Thiero can win the competition after modest roles last season. According to Boogie, the decision will likely come down to Jake Laravia against Ziair Williams and will be determined in training camp and the preseason.
Here are some more notes on the Lakers:
- As they seek to raise capital before purchasing the franchise, the new co-owners of the Lakers Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger are telling potential investors that they predict the team’s value will increase from $12.5 billion to at least $30 billion over the next decade, according to a report from Jessica Tunkel and Mark Maurer of The Wall Street Journal. The WSJ duo obtained a copy of the investor presentation distributed by Kushner’s investment firm, Thrive Capital, and shared some interesting details from the document, including the Lakers’ projected 2026 revenue broken down into several categories. The team will reportedly earn $681 million in total revenue this year, including $180 million from local television rights.
- The outgoing Lakers owner Mark Walter continues to deal with legal issues, as a lawsuit has been filed against him and his company in federal court in Florida, he writes Ben Horney of Front Office Sports (subscription required). The lawsuit alleges that Walter, Delaware Life Insurance Company, Group 1001, TWG Global and Guggenheim Partners misrepresented “the extent to which the policyholders’ investments were linked to Walter-related entities.”
- The recently relocated and rebranded Coachella Valley Lakers have been named Alex Serda as head coach in the 2026/27 season, according to a press release. Cerda has been an assistant coach for the Lakers’ G-League affiliate for the past three seasons, including the past two under Zach Guthriewhich was elevated in July to be an assistant at Jay Jay ReddickNBA staff.