Lakers new players join, big list expansion aims at the championship

On August 26, the Lakers welcomed a new member and officially signed center Keller Kelly, who was 2.13 meters tall, and the two sides reached a training camp contract agreement. This move has increased the Lakers roster to 21 players. Under the leadership of James and Doncic, the Purple and Gold Army launched an attack on the championship.

28-year-old Keller Kelly, although he was unfortunately defeated in the 2020 draft, did not give up his basketball dream, but kept honing himself in the G League. Until last season, he finally made it to the NBA stage. In the 2024-25 season, Kelly played for the Mavericks and the Pelicans, averaging 11.5 minutes per game in 11 regular season games, contributing 3.1 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Reviewing Kelly's four-year journey in the G League, he played for the Austin Spurs, Raptors 905, Maine Celtics and South Bay Lakers, playing in a total of 108 regular season games, including 58 starts. He scored 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.0 blocks per game during 20 minutes of playing time. Last season, he performed particularly well for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 11.5 points, snatched 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and up to 2.4 blocks, with an astonishing 68.2% shooting percentage. With his outstanding defensive performance, he was successfully selected for the G League's best defensive team of the year, leading the league in blocks per game.

The news that the Lakers and Kelly signed the training camp contract was first reported by US reporter Brett Siegel, and then the famous reporter Marc Stein further confirmed. After signing Kelly, the Lakers have a richer roster composition: they have 14 regular contract players, including core players such as James and Doncic; 2 two-way contract players Kolko and Chris Mannon; and 5 training camp contract players, namely Kelly Keller, RJ Davis, Eric Dickson, Arthur Kaluma and Augustas Marciolionis.

At present, the Lakers' lineup still has 1 regular position and 1 two-way position in the new season. These 5 players who only hold training camp contracts will participate in Lakers training camp. Their contracts are non-guaranteed and will do their best to win two-way contracts or regular contracts in the team. Once they cannot obtain a guaranteed contract, they are likely to be cut by the Lakers before the start of the new season.

Judging from the current situation, the core rotation lineup of the Lakers in the new season has been initially taken. The two superstars, James and Doncic, are in charge, and are supplemented by a group of powerful players, making fans look forward to this brand new Purple and Gold Legion. In the new season, they will fight for the championship trophy in the fiercely competitive NBA arena. What kind of results can James and Doncic lead the Lakers, whether to continue to write glory or face challenges, let us wait and see and witness the wonderful performance of the Lakers in the new season together.