favorable news: Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Signed $27.4 Million For free agent after W …
The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to complete any moves by the 2024 trade deadline, therefore they remained idle. Rather, Spencer Dinwiddie—who was later moved to the Toronto Raptors and released—was the big fish that the Lakers grabbed just after the deadline.
Dinwiddie was signed, if nothing else, to insure D’Angelo Russell for the Lakers. The Lakers would have another point guard to use against opponents if D’Lo’s hot streak ended and he went back to his old ways during the playoffs.
It was hoped that Dinwiddie’s play would change from its season-long trajectory. That hasn’t always been the case, though, as the seasoned point guard has had difficulties in Los Angeles. To be fair, the sample size is modest, but it is difficult to be impressed by Dinwiddie’s performance thus far.
With so many injuries on the roster, the Lakers can’t afford to wait for Dinwiddie to get it together. They need all the depth they can get. In light of this, should Dinwiddie prove to be a flop, the Lakers may be able to acquire everything they want from one existing veteran free agency.
The Detroit Pistons released veteran sharpshooter Joe Harris at the trade deadline, and he hasn’t yet signed with a new team. A rival team would normally be able to sign Harris right away, but the CBA’s new regulations have eliminated his market.
Because Harris’s contract was so high, no clubs above the second tax threshold (which include most of the contenders) could sign him after he was released. The Lakers and other mid-tier teams were left, but none of them have expressed interest in signing Harris.
The Lakers may sign a minimum free agent without paying any more fines since they still have $3.3 million in cap space before they hit the first tax anniversary. If the Lakers want to make the most of their available space, Harris is unquestionably the most sensible player available on the reduced market.
Harris has topped the league in three-point percentage twice in his career and is a lifetime 40% three-point shooter. His season-long decline in hit shooting may have more to do with Detroit’s appalling system than it does with his declining three-point shooting percentage.
A reliable three-point shooter off the bench is essential if the Lakers are to have any chance of competing in the postseason. When Jarred Vanderbilt returns, if Rui Hachimura remains in the starting lineup, LA won’t have a reliable shooter to turn to off the bench.
Harris has topped the league in three-point percentage twice in his career and is a lifetime 40% three-point shooter. His season-long decline in hit shooting may have more to do with Detroit’s appalling system than it does with his declining three-point shooting percentage.
A reliable three-point shooter off the bench is essential if the Lakers are to have any chance of competing in the postseason. When Jarred Vanderbilt returns, if Rui Hachimura remains in the starting lineup, LA won’t have a reliable shooter to turn to off the bench.