In days 2 and 3 of free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers stacked their team with seasoned veterans and young players willing to sign at the minimum to join the ride for a serious run at the championship. Suddenly the Lakers went from having just four players on the roster to being one of the deepest teams in the league.
Three-point shooting was the glaring need to address, that was pretty obvious to everybody, and that is what general manager Rob Pelinka took care of.
Then the problem shifted to age. Everyone pointing out the fact that the purple and gold are now too old to sustain a full 82-game season and compete in the playoffs for the championship.
Actually, that is the reason why they are so deep. With that number of valuable players available in the rotations, minute limitation and load management will be something head coach Frank Vogel will have the luxury to employ to make sure his ‘geriatric’ team navigates the season remaining fresh through the course of the year.
With 12 roster spots down and the two-way players already on the books, three places are left vacant.
While the Lakers will not necessarily have to fill them and might leave one or two open for the trade deadline and buyout market, some worthy name is still available and could be in place for those final roster spots. We are talking about veterans meant to help with their presence on the floor or in the locker room, boosting the team’s chances even with the smaller contributions.
Lou Williams is the example of one who reportedly refused to join to play that role, preferring to re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks. Andre Iguodala is another who favored returning to his former team, the Golden State Warriors.
Beyond these ones, there are some players that could have fit the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster and necessities.
They could have signed these players, but for some reason did not. We do not why. The players might have received an offer and passed on or the front office could have not taken them into consideration at all.
Here are three players the Lakers could have signed.