The Los Angeles Lakers invested heavily in center Walker Kessler, signing him to a four-year, $130 million contract and trading multiple draft assets to acquire him in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. The franchise views him as the ideal big man to pair with their star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and he will anchor this defense for years to come.
The Lakers also signed one of his good friends in point guard Collin Sexton to his own two-year deal. The two were teammates with the Jazz and have built up an excellent chemistry on and off the court with Sexton believing Kessler’s mindset and competitiveness are exactly what the Lakers are trying to build this new culture around.
“I would say his mindset,” Sexton said when asked what will make Kessler a good fit with the Lakers. “I would say his mindset and being able to come in and give it his all each and every night. He’s one of those people that’s very competitive. I feel like the culture here is trying to bring good guys in who are ready to compete each and every night and give it their all.
“Me and Walker we have built a really good relationship over the past four or five years. Even when he was in school, he’s from Atlanta as well so our connection on the court is pretty cool. Even yesterday when we were doing the 3-on-3, we still locked in so it’s cool.”
It is always nice to have someone you’re familiar with when joining a new team and Kessler and Sexton will be able to help each other adjust to these new surroundings. Sexton is known as a fierce competitor so him seeing that same mindset in Kessler is a good sign.
This Lakers team is full of new faces who will have to come together and build some chemistry. But the franchise is also looking to really establish a new foundation around Doncic and Reaves and having hard-nosed, fierce competitors who play hard every night like Kessler and Sexton will help to set the tone for this new era.
Collin Sexton joined Lakers because of ‘opportunity’
Sexton had many suitors this offseason but ultimately decided to sign with the Lakers as an unrestricted free agent. And when asked why he chose to join the purple and gold, Sexton made it clear that it was about the opportunity to play and compete at a high level.
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