The Los Angeles Lakers’ main objective heading into free agency this year was to retain as much of their core as possible. They achieved that goal by getting Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell to agree to new contracts without overpaying for them.
Guards Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker IV, both of whom played key roles throughout the season, left as free agents. But the Lakers may have found a replacement for Schroder by signing Gabe Vincent, who helped the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals with some gritty play at both ends of the court.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles added wings Taurean Prince, who is considered a 3-and-D forward, and Cam Reddish, who is considered to have untapped potential. The center position remains a weakness, but the team agreed to terms with Jaxson Hayes, an athletic and energetic 6-foot-11 big man.
All in all, it has been a very solid free agency period for the Lakers so far. Here is what some pundits in the national media are saying about how the team has done.
The "NBA Today" crew on ESPN likes what the Lakers have done
Many in the media have criticized Lakers executive Rob Pelinka over the last few years after he practically dismantled part of the core of the 2020 championship team by trading for Russell Westbrook two years ago. That trade left L.A. bereft of depth, and it was forced to fill out its roster with aging players that had nearly nothing left in the tank.
But Pelinka somehow turned Westbrook and a future first-round draft pick into Russell, defensive standout Jarred Vanderbilt and long-range bomber Malik Beasley in February. The team let Beasley go after he struggled mightily, but that trade earned Pelinka lots of respect across the league.
Dave McMenamin, Zach Lowe and Kendrick Perkins were feeling what the Lakers did in the opening hours of free agency.
Kendrick Perkins reacts to the Los Angeles Lakers off season so far. pic.twitter.com/c1esdK8hwi
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) July 2, 2023
In fact, in Perkins’ mind, the Lakers are the biggest winners in free agency this summer.
.@KendrickPerkins' Big List: Free Agency Winners‼️👀
1️⃣ @Lakers
2️⃣ @cavs
3️⃣ @warriors
4️⃣ @SacramentoKings
5️⃣ @Bucks pic.twitter.com/TmIyMkJZzI— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 1, 2023
Sam Quinn, CBS Sports
Quinn wasn’t as enamored with the Lakers’ moves as the crew on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” He pointed out some potential pitfalls in a couple of their moves. He also doubts whether they’re any closer to knocking off the world champion Denver Nuggets next spring.
However, he agrees the team did a solid job, while alluding to the flexibility it seems to have if it needs to make another trade before the trade deadline next February.
Via CBS Sports:
“Los Angeles Lakers: B-plus
“The Laker offseason really needs to be examined in two components. Let’s start with the ‘run it back’ side of the equation. Getting Austin Reaves back for $56 million is an enormous victory when his max, via an outside offer sheet, would’ve been $102 million. Paying Rui Hachimura $51 million over three years, however, is a more questionable decision. That contract is likely based on a career 34.7% 3-point shooter hitting 48.7% of his looks in the playoffs. If he comes down to Earth next season, that contract has dangerous potential. And then there’s D’Angelo Russell. On the surface, $37 million over two years is a fair price for a regular-season innings eater. What matters here is the player-option on the deal. In the old CBA, such an arrangement would have allowed Russell the right to veto any offer. The new CBA allows teams and players to waive that right upon the signing of the deal. We don’t know yet whether or not the Lakers and Russell have agreed to this. If they have? It’s a great deal, as it gives the Lakers significantly more in-season flexibility for moves. If they didn’t? Things look far murkier.
“And then there are the players the Lakers actually added. Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish and another big to be named later are in. Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, Lonnie Walker, Troy Brown Jr. and possibly Wenyen Gabriel are out. Are the players in that first sentence better than the ones in that second? Probably, yea. Vincent is younger than Schroder and ascending. The Lakers replaced small guards with badly needed wing size. But the reality of a team with the ambitions the Lakers have is that what matters is beating the Nuggets. The Lakers trusted four players in the Western Conference finals. All four of them are back, but did they add anyone else who can survive against Denver? That’s unclear. Vincent, despite an excellent Eastern Conference playoff run, struggled in the Finals. Nobody else has meaningful playoff experience. The Lakers are better, but they likely haven’t closed the gap between themselves and the Nuggets. Of course, as Rob Pelinka showed last February, he’s more than capable of reshaping his roster on the fly. Just because the Lakers aren’t there yet doesn’t mean they can’t get there with time.”
Zach Harper, The Athletic
Harper is somewhat skeptical about keeping Hachimura for $51 million over three years.
Via The Athletic:
“To love this deal for the Lakers, you have to really be certain the player we saw to finish out a contract season is the guy they’re getting moving forward. And maybe Hachimura is that. He had a great run after joining the Lakers, and we saw him give some much-needed boost to the team in the playoffs. A year ago, if I told you he was getting $51 million in free agency, you would’ve thought the Wizards were nuts or he’d made a massive leap. Instead, the Lakers are banking (literally) on him just needing to be away from a bad team and play for a good one.
“Grade: C-plus“
But he is a fan of the Vincent addition.
“I love this deal because I’m a big believer in the trajectory of Vincent. He was a necessary role player in the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals. This comes down to whether you believe the player he was last season and in most of the playoffs is what he’ll be moving forward, and whether you think he’s a better fit for the Lakers than Schröder was. I, personally, do, but as active as Vincent can be defensively, he’s still very undersized against most modern point guards.
“Grade: B“
He seems to like the Prince addition even more.
“One of my favorite role-player signings of the first day. He’s an excellent 3-point shooter, plays defense against multiple positions, knows where to be on the court and has a great presence on a team. Prince comes in to replace Malik Beasley right away, and I think he’s a better fit for them because of his positional flexibility. For a one-year prove-it deal, it’s the exact situation for both sides to find success.
“Grade: A-minus“
Harper doesn’t seem to be against the Lakers re-signing Russell, but he also doesn’t seem convinced the guard will stick beyond midseason.
Via The Athletic:
“I didn’t like the fit of Russell on the Lakers when they made the trade, and the postseason proved to be mostly validating for that. He disappeared for long stretches and just wasn’t reliable. But they’ve possibly built a team where they don’t need to have him be on every night, thanks to the signing of Gabe Vincent. No such thing as a bad two-year deal, so we’ll see if Russell sticks with the Lakers during both years or they flip him at some point.
“Grade: B-minus“
He did, however, praise L.A. for coming to terms with Reaves on a new contract for just $56 million over four years, which could end up proving to be a steal.
“A lot of people wondered if teams with cap space would put in an offer sheet Reaves couldn’t help but sign, forcing the Lakers to match more money than they could offer outright. Instead, he got it done with the Lakers at a reasonable rate, and it won’t be hard for him to prove this contract to be an underpay. His ascension has been impressive and $14 million a year for that kind of player is a steal.
“Grade: A“
Harper also believes Hayes could be a decent addition.
“He never really put it together in New Orleans, but he showed flashes. It’s not a bad play for depth and potential development here, but they need a more mature veteran in the mix too.”
Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report was a little skeptical about the money L.A. is giving out to Hachimura. But it also pointed out how the Japanese native seems to be on the right track toward expanding and enhancing his game.
Via Bleacher Report:
“This feels like a lot of money for a player with an almost nonexistent assist rate, a career average of 12.5 points and below-average marks in both 3-point percentage and effective field-goal percentage.
“But 25-year-old Rui Hachimura is still young enough to improve on his weaknesses. And he’s a huge (6 feet, 8 inches and 230 pounds) and pretty switchable defender.
“If he can shoot like he did in 2021-22 (when he had a 44.7 3-point percentage in 42 games) or the 2023 playoffs (48.7%), he may prove worthy of this deal.
“Grade: B”
Bleacher Report also likes the potential of the Vincent signing, especially if what he showed during the playoffs is representative of what he is capable of on a consistent basis.
“This is a pretty big bet on a single playoff run.
“Over four regular seasons, Gabe Vincent has averaged 7.7 points and hit just 33.9% of his 3-point attempts. And prior to 2023, his playoff numbers were 6.8 points with a 31.3 3-point percentage.
“But Vincent was a crucial component of the Miami Heat’s push to the finals this season. He started all 22 games, averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 assists and shot 37.8% from deep.
“If the Los Angeles Lakers get that version of him, this deal is a no-brainer. And playing alongside LeBron James, who’ll create plenty of wide-open looks, increases the likelihood of that player showing up more consistently.
“Grade: B-plus”
The publication seems very high on Prince.
“Taurean is exactly the kind of player the Los Angeles Lakers should’ve been targeting this summer. Getting him for the easily manageable bi-annual exception feels like a huge win.
“All he has to do on this team is defend and hit 3s, and the 29-year-old role player averaged 9.1 points and shot 38.1% from deep in 2022-23.
“Grade: A”
It feels the Reddish addition is underwhelming, although it admitted he could very well blossom on the Lakers.
“Cam Reddish is worth a flier, but he’s probably older than you think (he turns 24 in September), and outside shooting was supposed to be one of his more marketable skills dating back to his days as a high school prospect.
“Four years in, he’s hit just 32.2% of his 3, and he has more turnovers than assists. Those are major red flags.
“But on a team with LeBron James, when his offense could be generated entirely for him by LeBron James and others, maybe he’ll finally live up to his pre-college hype.
“Grade: C”
Bleacher Report believes the team hit a home run by getting Reaves to stay on a reasonable contract without even having to match another team’s offer sheet.
Via Bleacher Report:
“As a restricted free agent, Reaves was always going to return to the Lakers. Another team could have made this a pricey reunion, however, by signing the 25-year-old guard to an offer sheet far higher than the max the Lakers could originally present.
“Fortunately for Los Angeles, this never happened, and Reaves returns on an Early Bird max deal that is going to look like one of the NBA’s best contracts in a few years.
“Reaves was the Lakers’ third-best player during their run to the Western Conference finals, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and shooting 44.3% from 3 during 16 playoff games.
“This is a great deal for Reaves as well, who was signing a two-way contract just two years ago and now gets $56 million guaranteed along with a 15% trade kicker and fourth-year player option.
“The Lakers are having one hell of an offseason. Getting Reaves at this number without having to match a big offer sheet may be their best move yet.
“Grade: A-plus”
The site feels the Russell re-signing is a solid, if not a perfect, move.
“While this may not be a long-term partnership, Russell and the Lakers were each other’s best option as cap space begins to dry up around the league.
“The 27-year-old point guard is getting $18.5 million in annual salary, with the second year serving as a player option. If Russell has a strong season with the Lakers, he can opt out and look for a bigger, longer contract next summer.
“Los Angeles already signed Gabe Vincent using the majority of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception and can match any deal Austin Reaves receives in free agency. This collection of ball-handlers should help keep LeBron James’ workload at a modest level as he enters his 21st season.
“After getting benched during the playoffs, this is more money that was likely expected for Russell, although only signing a two-year contract makes the deal movable in a trade. A team option in Year 2 instead of a player option would have been far better for the Lakers as well.
“Grade: B”
Finally, Bleacher Report feels Hayes has a shot to prove he’s valuable with the Lakers, while the move is a low-risk one for the team.
“Hayes joins Cam Reddish as the second top-10 pick of the 2019 draft to sign with the Lakers this offseason.
“This is a good opportunity for the 23-year-old to rehab some value after seeing his minutes cut with the New Orleans Pelicans. Anthony Davis has averaged just 44 games a season the past three years, meaning Hayes could see extended minutes and some starting time if Davis once again struggles with injuries.
“For now, perfecting a role as a rim protector, rebounder and lob-finisher should earn Hayes a spot in the rotation immediately. This is a low-risk option for the Lakers, and Hayes gets a player option in Year 2 if he outperforms this deal and wants to test the market again next summer.
“Grade: B”
