Los Angeles Lakers

Why this season matters

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Los Angeles Lakers open a season without LeBron James. The King departed for Philadelphia this summer, and what followed was the most aggressive roster overhaul in recent franchise history — ten new players, a franchise center acquired at enormous cost, and one unmistakable message: this is Luka Dončić's team now.

Dončić, 27, is the sole No. 1 option for the first time in his career, coming off a Grade 2 hamstring strain that cut his 2025-26 season short. The Lakers bet everything on his prime — re-signing Austin Reaves to a four-year, $180 million max deal and prying Walker Kessler from Utah with unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033. Head coach JJ Redick, entering his third season, has penciled in Dončić, Reaves and Kessler as starters. Everything else is a position battle.

The five-game preseason slate is the only live-fire look at this group before the games count. Sixteen guaranteed contracts must become fifteen. The post-LeBron era tips off October 20 — and for the first time in years, nobody knows what the Lakers are.