Ahead of the start of free agency, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka expressed a desire to keep the team’s core together while improving around the edges.
Now that free agency is underway, everyone is starting to get a view of what improving around the edges means for L.A.
After waiving both Mo Bamba and Shaquille Harrison while declining Malik Beasley team option, the Lakers opened up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $12.4 million and the bi-annual exception of $4.5 million to use.
They wasted no time finding players of their liking, reportedly agreeing to terms with Gabe Vincent on a three-year, $33 million contract and Taurean Prince on a one-year, $4.5 million contract.
The Lakers didn’t stop there as they also reportedly re-signed Rui Hachimura and added wing Cam Reddish. With the expectation that the Lakers will still retain Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, the rest of the roster will likely be minimum signings.
It appears one other option is retaining Beasley as Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office is reportedly still discussing that, via Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:
While the Lakers declined Beasley’s $16.5 million player option for 2023-24, Pelinka holds the shooting wing in high regard, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and there were discussions into Friday evening about Beasley potentially returning to the Lakers.
With the other moves the Lakers made, they are hard-capped at around $172 million so there would only be two potential ways to bring back Beasley.
The first would be signing him to a minimum contract, which may be below his market value. The other would be if they are unable to re-sign either Reaves or Russell and choose Beasley as a replacement since they have his bird rights.
L.A. still is without a center on their roster outside of Anthony Davis though, so bringing back another guard in Beasley may not be their best option.
Bruce Brown signs with Pacers
One of the Lakers’ top targets for their mid-level exception was Bruce Brown, but they got outpriced as the Indiana Pacers signed him to a lucrative two-year, $45 million contract at the start of free agency.
The Lakers bounced-back nicely with the signings of Vincent, Prince, Hachimura, Reddish
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