New York Post
· collected 2026-09-05 · by Thomas L. Murray
Former NBA player Matt Barnes has made a comment on the Los Angeles Lakers' roster, calling it the "whitest Laker team since the Minneapolis Lakers." The Lakers have undergone significant changes in the offseason, adding players such as Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton to their roster. According to Barnes, the team is building around star player Luka Doncic, whom they signed with a four-year extension worth $130 million. In addition, guard Austin Reaves received a four-year contract worth $185 million.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Claims extracted
15
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject
Publisher trust
95.2
red-flag proxy, not a credibility rating
Outlets on this story
unclustered
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Narrative spread
1
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Why this leaning score
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 4973 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-06
The offseason has been a near overhaul for the Lakers’ roster, and former NBA player Matt Barnes is having fun analyzing it.
asserted
Barnes → have → it
In a video with TMZ Sports, Barnes called out the team’s roster and said it’s the “whitest Laker team since the Minneapolis Lakers.”
asserted
it → call → Lakers
Barnes cracked a smile as he was joking about the Lakers team and then went on to praise them for building around Luka Dončić.
asserted
he → crack → Dončić
“But again, man, when you’ve got Luka and AR [Austin Reaves] out there, to me two of the best scoring guards in the league.
asserted
you → get → league
They added some depth,” Barnes said.
asserted
Barnes → add → depth
“To me, I just got to see it.
asserted
I → get → it
Everyone wants to give a hot take and predict what they feel like they’re gonna do.”
asserted
they → want → what
The Lakers are preparing to enter the first year of the Dončić era after LeBron James departed from the franchise after an eight-year stint.
asserted
James → prepare → stint
The Lakers have spent the offseason building around Dončić as the team fulfilled his request for a big man by acquiring Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade, giving him a four-year extension for $130 million.
asserted
team → spend → million
The team also extended Reaves, Dončić’s partner in crime, by giving him a four-year, $185 million max contract that includes a player option in the final year of his deal.
asserted
that → extend → deal
The front office has also built a strong supporting cast, adding Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle.
asserted
office → build → Grimes
“They’re trying to build around him.
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They → try → him
I don’t know if there is new ownership or not, so they gotta kind of figure that out,” Barnes said.
asserted
Barnes → know → that
“The Lakers, whether they’re up or down, when they’re down, they don’t stay down long.
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they → ’re → ?
So, it’s going to be interesting to see what this season looks like.”
asserted
season → go → what
