Although the Los Angeles Lakers have already had quite an offseason, the latest Lakers rumors show they may not be done making moves.
The Los Angeles Lakers will look a lot different headed into the fall. After signing LeBron James, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, and JaVale McGee, it is clear that the ball club’s intentions are to end their postseason drought.
As a result of the signings, the Lakers possess a fine mixture of young and veteran-level talent. However, recent rumors indicate that the purple and gold may not be finished filling out their roster.
Per NBA reporter David Aldridge, the Lakers may be looking to bolster their backcourt depth. On Thursday the Chicago Bulls revoked their qualifying offer to David Nwaba, thus making Nwaba an unrestricted free agent. According to the same report, the shooting guard is garnering interest from Los Angeles.
No surprise: several teams have reached out to @dnwaba0, whose qualifying offer was rescinded by Chicago Thursday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Spurs, Lakers among many, per source, with no frontrunner. Bulls still could re-sign him as well.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 13, 2018
In 2017-2018, Nwaba averaged just 7.9 points a night for the Windy City. With that being said, his game is not reminiscent of a guy like Jamal Crawford.
Lakers’ fans understand this truth better than most since Nwaba spent his rookie season as a Laker. During his 20-game stint in L.A., the 6-foot-4 ballplayer averaged 6.0 points, 3.2 boards, and 0.7 dimes.
While his numbers may not look too sexy, it is demonstrative of the type of player Nwaba is. Filling up the stat sheet is not his top priority by any means.
Be that as it may, Anthony Irwin of SB Nation perfectly depicts what the shooting guard brings to the table. In his analysis, the writer notes that Nwaba’s “defense and energy level do help offset some of his offensive limitations.”
On that note, the 25-year-old would fit rather well into the Lakers’ plans. The team’s strategy headed into next year has revolved around having defensive-minded assets all-around. Given that Golden State’s offense is nearly unstoppable, Los Angeles’ strategy is sensible.
Certainly, Nwaba would benefit the Lakers despite his ineffectiveness on the offensive end of the hardwood. In his time with L.A. and Chicago, he has been a lightning bolt as far as getting steals or deflections at crucial times. He is a very disruptive player on “D” and every team needs guys like that.
The biggest issue at hand is whether Nwaba would get enough playing time if he reunited with the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope re-signed with L.A. earlier this month, and there is no way Josh Hart will not be in the rotation. The same is true with respect to Stephenson.
Therefore, there is already a logjam at the shooting guard position for the Lakers. One could accordingly argue that adding Nwaba would not be the wisest decision.
Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report echoes this sentiment in a piece he recently assembled. Chiari contends that picking up the free agent would not be “a necessity” for the Lakers. He does believe, though, that the Cal Poly product’s approach to the game aligns with what the Lakers crave.
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If Nwaba goes back to L.A., it is safe to assume he would receive little playing time. Nevertheless, the intensity he plays with is undeniable, hence why his name is being tossed around in the latest rumors.