This offseason has not gone how the Los Angeles Lakers had hoped as they were turned down by a number of people.
First, they were turned down by Dan Hurley after surprisingly choosing to chase the UConn head coach despite him coming off back-to-back National Championships and loving the East Coast.
The Lakers then made Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson their top free agent target with LeBron James being willing to take less money on his new contract in order to facilitate L.A. acquiring the sharpshooter.
Again though, the Lakers misjudged Thompson’s interest as he instead chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. With free agency well underway, general manager Rob Pelinka has not yet been able to make any moves to improve the roster.
It appears the Lakers have missed out on another one of their targets as Shams Charania, Mark Puleo, Anthony Slater and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported that they were a suitor for Buddy Hield before he signed with the Warriors:
Hield is currently in Valencia, Spain, starring for the Bahamian national team, which is two wins away from a shocking Olympics bid and is coached by Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, a helpful ally in the recruitment of Hield. It had been trending this direction for a couple days, but Hield didn’t make a final decision until after a late Wednesday night call with Steve Kerr and then a night to sleep on it.
Hield chose the Warriors because of the opportunity to win, per league sources. His suitors included the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers.
Hield is someone the Lakers have been linked to for years now, partly because he is a former client of Pelinka’s. This is the first time his name has come up in relation to L.A. this offseason though, and it’s unclear just how interested they were.
The Lakers currently have a full roster and as a team above the first apron, they do not have a mid-level exception to offer someone like Hield. They likely would have been offering the minimum while he ended up getting around $9 million in this contract with the Warriors, where his 3-point shooting will help replace what they are losing with Thompson.
Nets open to trading with Lakers for D’Angelo Russell
If the Lakers are gonna make any significant moves it will likely come on the trade market, and potentially involving D’Angelo Russell now that he’s on an expiring contract.
The Nets have reportedly shown interest in re-acquiring their former All-Star as the Lakers continue to shop him. With Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith as options L.A. has shown interest in, it’s possible there is a deal to be made there.
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