Los Angeles Lakers: 3 free agents LA will regret not signing

EL SEGUNDO, CA - JUNE 26: General manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers stands with Moritz Wagner #15, one of the team's 2018 NBA draft picks, during an introductory press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center on June 26, 2018 in El Segundo, California. TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

Ben McLemore

McLemore was a late addition to the 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers roster.

Waived by the high-volume shooting Houston Rockets, LA, already in need of firepower from the arc, picked him up in the buyout market.

Though on a minimal role, Ben performed well for the purple and gold, with some hot outings that allowed him to re-establish himself as a decent contributor on a structured team. In 21 games averaging 17 minutes per game, he had two 17-point games, a 16-point and 20-point game.

His short time in Los Angeles was good enough to earn him a contract offer from the Portland Trail Blazers as soon as free agency started.

It is fair to say that McLemore, added way beyond the mid-mark of the season, proved to the Lakers and the league that he could give his contribution to the cause and still make some impact on the game.

Provided that with a training camp with the team his role would have grown in LA rotation, Ben could have made of a good returning piece to address that shooting need that was still plaguing the Lakers.

It is unknown if the front office made him an offer that he simply just refused, or if they just waited to see how the market would unfold before calling him and the Blazers snitched him out. Undoubtedly, he would have made sense returning for another run in Los Angeles.

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