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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Lakers have a new-look squad entering the 2026-27 NBA season following the departure of long-time superstar LeBron James.
The Lakers are now fully in the hands of Luka Doncic, who's entering his second full season with the Lakers following the blockbuster deal with his former Dallas Mavericks squad in 2024-25.
The year before the Mavericks sent Doncic to Los Angeles, he carried the Dallas franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2011. With the help of veteran point guard Kyrie Irving, Doncic led a supporting cast featuring P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II to the championship series.
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NBA analyst Charles Barkley said the 2026-27 Lakers are a better team than the one Doncic led the Finals in 2024.
“I really want to see the Lakers do well,” Barkley said on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," via BasketballNetwork. “First of all, I’m a big Luka fan, a big Austin Reaves fan. I think they’re gonna be better than people realize. Luka and Kyrie took the Mavs to the Finals, come on, man. This team is probably better; this team is probably just as good as that team.”
The Lakers' projected starting lineup this coming season features Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia and Walker Kessler. The team also added Collin Sexton, Cameron Carr, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney and Matisse Thybulle this offseason.
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The Lakers will open their 2026-27 regular season with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.
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