It took a few days, but the Lakers finally made a few moves. It all started with them acquiring Roy Hibbert from the Indiana Pacers. It cost the Lakers a second round pick, some cash and a player overseas, but at least they have a big man that they can plug in the middle.
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Hibbert’s acquisition came through a trade, so the Lakers still had not signed a player via free agency. With most of the free agents already off the market, Mitch Kupchak didn’t have many options left.
We all knew it was bound to happen, it just took a little longer than expected. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Lou Williams has agreed to a three year deal to sign with the Lakers:
Free agent Lou Williams has agreed to a 3-year, $21 million deal with Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2015
After missing on several other targets, Kupchak finally gets somebody to join the purple and gold. Williams is 6-foot-1, but plays the shooting guard position. He is the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, so the Lakers are getting a player that can provide an offensive boost off the bench.
Williams averaged 15.5 points with the Raptors last season, which the Lakers will welcome with open arms. However, scoring was not the Lakers’ main problem last season, they needed help defensively on the wing. The deal itself isn’t too bad, given his ability to score, but the Lakers could have really used a small forward. Maybe they are hoping Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown will help fill that void.