The first official day of NBA free agency ended with the Los Angeles Lakers making just one move — re-signing 21-year-old guard Max Christie to a four-year deal that will reportedly be worth $32 million.
It looks like their main free agent target, at least right now, is five-time All-Star guard Klay Thompson. Thompson, who is 34 years of age, is diminished after ACL and Achilles injuries a few years ago, but he is still a bona fide 3-point threat who needs to be accounted for.
The Lakers have some other incumbent players who are free agents, including, of course, LeBron James, who may be willing to take a pay cut on his next contract to accommodate someone such as Thompson.
They’re reportedly expected to have interest in keeping two of their other players who are now free agents: guard Spencer Dinwiddie and wing Taurean Prince.
Via HoopsHype:
“Before signing with the Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks expressed significant interest in Dinwiddie once he became a free agent, as both teams valued his ability to penetrate off the dribble and guard on the perimeter,” wrote Michael Scotto.
“Now, the Lakers and Mavericks are once again expected to have interest in Dinwiddie again as he enters free agency, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Dinwiddie came to Los Angeles from the buyout market in February, and while he was a disappointment, especially offensively, he did shoot well from 3-point range at times. If he were to remain with L.A., the hope is that improved coaching from JJ Redick would unleash his offensive capabilities.
While Prince is largely a one-dimensional player, that one dimension — 3-point shooting — is very important to a Lakers team that finished near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point attempts this past season. He did make an outstanding 39.6% of his attempts from downtown during the 2023-24 campaign.
“While we’re on the topic of Lakers players, the team is interested in re-signing forward Taurean Prince, league sources told HoopsHype.
“… Should Prince return to the Lakers, rival NBA executives project Prince to potentially command a deal somewhere in the range of two years and $11 million, which could be done by using his non-bird rights where the Lakers can offer a contract beginning at 120 percent of his salary from the previous season.”
Finances are a big issue for the Lakers, but some deft maneuvering by general manager Rob Pelinka, plus some good old-fashioned luck, could still result in a roster that will look significantly better this fall.
