– Proven winner
Since Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have taken over the Lakers, they have really done a nice job reshaping the roster. The organization wants to establish a winning culture, and that starts with players that have the right attitude.
This offseason, we saw the Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell. One of the reasons why was that Magic didn’t believe he was the leader that the Lakers needed. Replacing him will be a true floor general in Lonzo Ball. At UCLA, Ball had a great freshman season, and his team went on a nice run in the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to drafting Ball, the Lakers also took a winning player in Josh Hart. In four seasons at Villanova, Hart has been part of one of the most winning programs in college during that span.
Next: Ranking the 10 greatest free agent signings in Lakers history
Adding Bogut gives the Lakers a player that has recently won a championship, and also one that has played on an elite team. With the Lakers looking to change the culture, adding a veteran like Bogut goes a long way toward fixing that. Also, it was very encouraging to see Bogut choose Los Angeles over some other teams in the NBA. Even though he wasn’t a marquee free agent, he was a player that potential playoff teams were interested in.