Although it’s only been a couple of days, the Los Angeles Lakers look pretty set with the roster after agreeing to several free-agent deals.
The Lakers kept their own free agents in D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura while adding Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes in free agency. Rob Pelinka and the front office nailed their two goals of preserving chemistry and continuity as well as adding younger players with a toughness to them.
When the deals for the free agents and rookies are officially announced, Los Angeles will have 13 players under contract. Typically, the team has gone into the regular season with 14 players and left the 15th roster spot open for flexibility purposes.
Although the roster is filled with depth on the perimeter, Los Angeles looks thin at center with just Anthony Davis and Hayes. The Lakers, though, recognize this and are reportedly considering reunions with either Mo Bamba or Tristan Thompson to fill the need via Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
L.A. is targeting another big man with its 14th roster spot, according to team sources. They are likely to carry 14 guaranteed contracts into the season, leaving one roster spot open. Mo Bamba, whom the Lakers waived on Thursday, and Tristan Thompson, who joined the team right before their playoff run, remain options to fill that 14th spot, according to league sources.
L.A. decided to waive Bamba’s non-guaranteed deal in order to open up their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. However, there’s a good possibility that he will be available later in the summer as cap space around the NBA dries up. As for Thompson, there isn’t much-reported interest in him, so he could presumably be signed at any point in the offseason.
During the playoffs, it was clear Los Angeles needed another big body next to Davis, who played extended minutes guarding opposing centers. While not as much of a problem in the postseason, the regular season is a different story, as the team probably doesn’t want to force Davis to bang down low as much as possible.
Things could go awry for the purple and gold if Bamba and Thompson sign elsewhere, though the safe bet is that one of the two returns to Los Angeles.
Lakers still discussing possibility of re-signing Malik Beasley
While the center position should be addressed, it hasn’t stopped the front office from considering other options. For example, they are reportedly discussing the possibility of re-signing Malik Beasley.