Thus far, the Los Angeles Lakers free agency activity has involved the team bringing back old friends. The Lakers re-signed Dwight Howard for his third stint with the team, signed Trevor Ariza for his second stint with the team, signed Kent Bazemore for his second stint in LA and has signed Wayne Ellington for his second stint with the team.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Ellington and the Lakers are in agreement on a one-year, minimum contract. He was one of the names connected to the team before free agency began, so it may not be a surprise to Laker fans.
Despite it being rather predictable, it is still a solid move for Rob Pelinka and co. As we are with each Lakers free agency move, we have to grade the team bringing back Wayne Ellington for his second stint in LA.
Lakers free agency grade for signing Wayne Ellington: A
Look, you might notice a trend if you read any of the Lakers free agency grades that we are putting together. While we can definitely dissect the players that the team is letting walk (Alex Caruso) it is hard to not see the vision with the players they are bringing in.
The goal in signing Ellington is simple: bring in someone who can hit shots and compete for a spot on the floor in crunch time when the games really start to matter. While Ellington’s defense is not going to win him any big roles like that, he could shoot his way into a lot of playing time in the playoffs.
The Lakers might be zagging while everyone is zigging when it comes to three-point shooting but they still need to hit shots when it matters. The 2020 team won the championship because guys like Rajon Rondo and Markieff Morris stepped up and hit shots.
If those two can hit shots in the playoffs then there is no reason why Ellington can’t.
Ellington shot 42.2% from beyond the arc last season and is a career 38.2% shooter. The only concern is that last season was his peak and he cannot refind that form. That was only the second season of his career that he shot over 40% from three and the year prior he shot 35%.
That is not awful but it definitely is not what the Lakers need out of him. Ellington is going to be taking 4-5 threes a game and the hope has to be that he is guaranteed to make two a game with the potential to have a hot night. If the Lakers get anything less than that, with no defensive presence, then it is going to be a bad signing.
I gave it an A instead of an A+ as he is not my favorite three-point specialist in free agency, that would be JJ Redick, who is more experienced and consistent. Although it is unclear if he is available for the minimum.
Ellington is a solid signing, though, and chances are the signing works out. It has to for the Lakers to succeed, after all.