Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Troy Daniels, who was also pursued by the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder before picking the Lakers.
With NBA Free Agency mostly behind us, Los Angeles Lakers rumors have really slowed down. Instead of discussing which players may be on the roster, attention is now being turned to which players may be in the rotation.
The Lakers are going to have a much different look this season. Anthony Davis and LeBron James headline the roster, but they did an excellent job filling out the roster around them. Los Angeles now has a ton of versatility and depth to help get them through the season.
One of the new additions to the team is sharpshooter, Troy Daniels. Daniels is a journeyman, as he has played with five different organizations during his six seasons in the NBA. He spent the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns and previously played with the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies.
Daniels was the first player to commit to the Lakers in free agency, as the team jumped on him early despite having their eyes on some big named free agents, such as Kawhi Leonard. However, it was a move that paid off as Daniels seemed to be targeted by other contending teams.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Daniels picked the Lakers over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors. General manager Rob Pelinka and Davis called Daniels about joining the purple and gold.
Troy Daniels says he received calls from both Rob Pelinka and Anthony Davis about coming to LAL, picking them over interest from GSW and OKC. It helped, he thinks, that he once poured in 29 pts in a double OT win (including a game tying 3 in OT) over NOP when he played for MEM
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 15, 2019
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That game that McMenamin is referencing was only three points off of Daniels’ career-high of 32, which occurred on Dec. 13, 2017, against the Toronto Raptors while playing for the Suns. That kind of scoring punch, especially from behind the 3-point line, is what the Lakers are hoping he brings to Los Angeles as well.
Daniels is a career 40 percent shooter from behind the arc on 4.4 attempts per game. While he doesn’t get there frequently, with only 163 free throws in 292 games, he makes it count while he is there, knocking down 81.6 percent.
That kind of shooting was much needed for the Lakers. Last season they ranked 29th in 3-point shooting and free throw shooting and Daniels will improve both of those numbers.
How much playing time Daniels will receive is up for debate, but there is no denying that he is a great fit alongside James and Davis.
He will be one of the many players relied upon to help spread the floor to make things easier for James and Davis to operate without defenses collapsing on them.