Lakers Sign Breakout Summer League Star Hours After Adding Matisse Thybulle Next to Luka Doncic

The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy reshaping their roster after LeBron James declared he'd no longer play for the team. Having that in mind, the Lakers are now trying to build a roster around Luka Doncic.

We've already seen several additions like Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Kevon Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jaden Hardy, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, and incoming rookie Cameron Carr join the Lakers this summer. But it appears LA isn't done recruiting yet after signing NBA Summer League breakout talent Arthur Kaluma.

"The Los Angeles Lakers are signing (forward) Arthur Kaluma to a two-way NBA deal," NBA insider Shams Charania reported on X. "Kaluma, who spent 2025-26 in Lakers G League program, averaged nearly 19 points, 61% shooting and 50% on 3s in Las Vegas summer league."

While it's good to see that the Lakers are allowing a G League star to shine in the main roster, it appears that the team has gone beyond their roster limit heading into the 2026-27 season.

As of this writing, the Lakers now have 16 guaranteed contracts to fulfill. 17 if we include the recent two-way deal with Kaluma. This means that the Lakers need to free up some roster space this summer before opening night.

Given their current circumstances, there have been talks of LA letting go of Bronny James via trade. There are speculations that the Lakers are simply waiting for LeBron James' free agency decision. Wherever LeBron goes, they'll likely trade Bronny to that team.

NBA Insider Claims Luka Doncic Heavily Involved in Lakers' Roster Changes

Now that LeBron James is no longer playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, there's a new sheriff in town, and that's Luka Doncic. With that said, there's no denying that the Lakers will focus on building a roster around the Slovenian superstar.

Given how drastic the Lakers' roster has changed this summer, NBA insider Ramona Shelburne believes that Doncic played a huge role in selecting the players, especially Walker Kessler.

"I think he was involved," Shelburne said. "(Walker Kessler), I'm sure. I think that was a Luka move."

"When you talk to the Lakers, JJ Redick and Luka Doncic were very involved in helping recruit these players and pick these players... they have no flexibility. This is their team," Shelbourne reported in another interview.

Looking at how different the Lakers currently look this summer, it'll be interesting to see if chemistry issues won't get in the way. The majority of the players on the roster will be playing with each other for the first time. The only reliable players who are seasoned enough to compete are Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Having said that, Lakers head coach Redick has plenty of work to do this coming training camp in September.