Los Angeles Lakers: The 3 best free agency moves Rob Pelinka has made

By Jason Reed | Aug 4, 2021

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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. Bringing Dwight Howard back to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers should have never let Dwight Howard walk in the first place and it was one of Rob Pelinka’s biggest mistakes last offseason. It would not have changed the end result of the season, but it did cause the team to scramble and try to make Andre Drummond fit in.

Trading JaVale McGee to open up the money for Marc Gasol was fine and I do not even hate the Montrezl Harrell signing. The team should have still brought back Dwight and it took them a season later but they did it.

This ranks as one of the three best moves as it was something that could have easily been overlooked. The M-O for the team in the offseason was adding shooting, which they certainly did, so it could have been easy to not prioritize getting a traditional center to help the depth of the position.

There is a good chance that Howard is not included in the playoff rotations or is only included in a small capacity. Anthony Davis should be playing more center anyway with Russell Westbrook on the team, especially in the closing moments of games.

However, Howard still gives the team regular-season depth that was much-needed and allows them to take it easier not only on Davis but on Marc Gasol as well. It is an underrating signing and one of the best this offseason by Pelinka.

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