Heading into this season, the Los Angeles Lakers were thin on wing depth due to their lack of cap space. And now the Purple and Gold just got even thinner at the forward position when LeBron James went down with a strained left adductor that will force him to miss a couple of games.
The front court depth for the Lakers for the foreseeable future obviously takes a major hit without the spectacular play of King James. With the Lakers front office now having to adjust to James’ injury, they are starting to look at potential new players.
On an episode of Bally Sport’s show The Rally, NBA insider Shams Charania discussed the latest on James’ injury status and how the Lakers have reacted to the injury by hosting free agent workouts with some wings out on the market including Tony Snell and Joe Wieskamp:
“It will also be curious guys, are they going to go out and sign a player out on the free agent market now that they might need additional wing help?” Charania questioned. “They worked out Moe Harkless recently. And I’m told the Lakers also held free-agent workouts with Joe Wieskamp and Tony Snell. Wieskamp was waived by the Spurs out of training camp, and Snell has been a long-time NBA veteran.”
The Lakers will need any potential new players to be able to shoot from behind the arc considering the lack of shooting on the current roster. Snell shot a near 40 percent from distance last season while Wieskamp, who was a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, shot 32 percent from 3-point land.
Both Wieskamp and Snell are similar in their 6-foot-6-inch frame, but a possible difference-maker in one of them signing with the Lakers could be how well they fit in Darvin Ham’s system, which Snell is already familiar with from his time in Milwaukee.
Lakers not considering Anthony Davis trades
It is understandable how the mainstream media and Lakers faithful have reacted to L.A.’s horrifying start to a season that was filled with hope and newness with Ham at the head coaching helm. However, things may have gone a little far with the idea of trading Anthony Davis being floated around.
After a report of a Davis trade being on the table, another report countered the idea of trading the 2020 NBA champion big man by clarifying that the Lakers are not considering it at this time.
Davis, who has been injury prone the past several seasons, is still an All-Star caliber player when healthy. If he and LeBron James have proven anything, it is that when the two are fully healthy with the right supporting cast, a championship is always possible for the Purple and Gold.
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