After a disappointing finish to the 2020-21 season, the Los Angeles Lakers made a ton of roster changes this summer, starting with their blockbuster acquisition of Russell Westbrook.
Understanding they need to surround Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis with shooters, the Lakers did exactly that by bringing in some quality veterans like Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore.
L.A. also added some rim protection with the addition of Dwight Howard once again and also brought in some youth with Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn.
While the summer has been busy for the Lakers, it’s not done yet as they still have three available roster spots. The assumption all along was that one would go to Jared Dudley, although that no longer appears to be the case as Chris Haynes of Yahoo is reporting that is unlikely to happen:
And with the intention of signing two more players and leaving a roster spot open, it means Jared Dudley’s two-year tenure with the organization will likely come to an end.
While Dudley hasn’t contributed much on the court in his two seasons with the Lakers, the 36-year-old’s basketball IQ and presence in the locker room have been invaluable to the organization.
Considering the Lakers already have 12 players that could be worthy of minutes, it would make some sense to bring back Dudley as he understands his back-of-the-bench role and wouldn’t complain for minutes. On the other hand though, given the age on the roster, the Lakers may want to bring in some more youth to help them get through an 82-game regular season.
If Dudley doesn’t re-sign with the Lakers then it will be interesting to see what he does next. He has mentioned that he plans to go into coaching or a front-office role when he retires, which would be perfect for L.A., although it remains to be seen if he’s ready to hang them up yet.
Lakers worked out Thomas, Collison and James
While one of the final roster spots likely won’t be going to Dudley, they will be going to someone, and it was recently reported that the Lakers worked out Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison and Mike James.
It remains to be seen which, if any, they will sign, but one thing that is clear is the Lakers are looking to add one more point guard with one of the final roster spots.
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