NBA free agency has essentially come and gone and the Los Angeles Lakers are one of only a few teams that did not make any moves.
So far this offseason, the only changes to the Lakers’ roster has been subtracting Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie for 2024 draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.
With the team right at the second apron and out of roster spots, they would need to make some sort of trade to clear space if they want to make any additions.
One player the team has had reported interest in was Gary Trent Jr., who was expected to leave the Toronto Raptors in free agency. Recent reports indicated that if the Trent wanted to sign with the Lakers, they would have more urgency when it comes to clearing the space to make it happen.
It appears that won’t be necessary as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that Trent has chosen to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks:
Free agent G Gary Trent Jr. has agreed on a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, Rich Paul and Lucas Newton of @klutchsports tell ESPN. Trent reunites with Damian Lillard and joins a Bucks organization that recruited him hard to chase a title with them. pic.twitter.com/jXmQuCcRMx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 16, 2024
Similar to the Lakers, the Bucks have lacked cap space and resources to improve this offseason but have still found ways to do so. Not only are they signing Trent for the minimum, but they also recently signed Prince away from L.A.
Given the lack of quality free agents left on the market, losing out on Trent is a tough pill to swallow for the Lakers, especially with him signing a minimum deal.
It remains to be seen what the Lakers will do, if anything, this offseason, but Rob Pelinka clearly doesn’t seem to be in much of a rush to make anything happen.
Maxwell Lewis not focused on scoring for Lakers in Summer League
Barring any significant roster changes, the Lakers will be relying on improvements from within to be better in 2024-25. One player who could help there is Maxwell Lewis, a second-round pick from 2023.
Lewis has been playing for the Lakers in Summer League and recently discussed how he has tried to showcase skills other than scoring knowing that’s what his role would be if he gets minutes for L.A.
Lewis still has some developing to do but in theory could play a similar role as Trent if he continues to hone his 3-and-D skills.
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