With the NBA moratorium finally over, teams are allowed to officially announce the signings and trades that have been reported since the opening of free agency.
The Los Angeles Lakers made several announcements about the new members on their team, including 3-and-D wing Taurean Prince.
Prince agreed to a one-year contract that’s reported to be for the bi-annual exception at about $4.5 million, a bargain contract for a player who fits the mold of player that every team is looking to add. A long, rangy forward who can hold his own against traditional 3s and 4s, Prince projects to have a sizable role off the bench for Darvin Ham.
Ham has a preference for players who can stay on the floor defensively, a mindset that Prince resonates with, via ESPN Los Angeles:
“I think it’s perfect. That’s my mindset as well, taking pride in the person in front of me. Not only with the best player on the court, anybody I’m guarding. If it’s a shooter running off screens or it’s a point guard I got rumble ’em up off pick and rolls, it’s just whatever it takes to try and get the W in that moment.”
Like Jarred Vanderbilt, Prince isn’t afraid to guard whoever’s in front of him and is the type of player that excels doing the small things on the court. After the trade deadline during the 2022-23 season, the Lakers owned one of the league’s best defenses and Prince will try to help them maintain that status for the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
Adding someone like Prince to the roster gives Ham even more lineup flexibility and versatility, particularly in the frontcourt. Between Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Vanderbilt and Prince, Los Angeles has a stable of wings they can mix-and-match depending on the opponent.
All in all, it’s been a very successful offseason for the purple and gold who got better on paper. While adding talent and depth was a great first step toward competing for another championship, they’ve got to put in the work to actually get there.
Rob Pelinka grateful to successfully execute ‘pre-agency’ plan
Rob Pelinka’s moves at the trade deadline saved the Lakers’ season, but also set them up to keep their core pieces together in the summer. After managing to retain members from their Western Conference Finals run, Pelinka expressed how grateful he was that the front office’s pre-agency plan worked out.
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