Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka emphasized the message of keeping the core of this past year’s Laker team together and echoed it recently at the introductory press conference of recent draft picks Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis.
Once the proverbial bell struck 3 p.m. PST this past Friday, the Lakers were active in their acquisitions, signing guard Gabe Vincent, forward Taurean Prince, forward Cam Reddish and bringing back forward Rui Hachimura.
On Saturday, the team brought back guards D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves and added an athletic young center in Jaxson Hayes. The consensus is that the Western Conference heavyweights got better, and that seems to have made LeBron James a happy man, who took to Instagram to show his approval of the signings via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
LeBron James’ Instagram story on Saturday afternoon featured photos of all the players the Lakers made agreements with in the first day of free agency. Certainly a tacit sign of approval from the L.A. vet entering his 21st season. pic.twitter.com/tieCFXxnHJ
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 1, 2023
Pelinka and company have been able to establish more prominent defenders and shooting to a team that was able to put it together on the fly after the NBA trade deadline. Russell emphasized the potential of this Laker squad having a full offseason and training camp together, and it will happen with some improvements around the edges.
With James having a player option at the end of this next season, this could very well be the last chance at contending to win a championship with him on the roster. Co-star Anthony Davis also has a player option at the end of next season, but the Lakers and Davis can begin negotiations on an extension in August.
All in all, it has been a successful free agency thus far for the Lakers early in the process. The roster stands at 13 players, and it is rumored that the Lakers are looking to add potentially one more piece to solidify the team early in this free agency period.
Lakers looking to add another big in free agency
As mentioned with the recent re-signing of guard Austin Reaves, the roster stands at 13 players, with two more open spots available.
The team is reportedly looking into signing another frontcourt player to fill the 14th spot while potentially keeping the last spot on the roster open to maintain flexibility over the summer in case an opportunity presents itself.