2. Kendrick Nunn to the Los Angeles Lakers: Two years, $10.25 million
Kendrick Nunn is the second player on the Los Angeles Lakers to be named to this list as he is the best value signing that Rob Pelinka pulled off this offseason. Nunn was not someone who was on my radar for the Lakers and the fact that the team got him is a testament to the team’s status as a contender and the culture they have built.
Nunn is a solid young player and the Lakers locked him down for the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception. That is the same deal that Dennis Schroder got, at least with Nunn he probably could have gotten more but instead is betting on himself with a contender.
There is a good chance that he opts out of his deal after one year, especially if he has a really good showing on the big stage in the playoffs. We saw how much Rajon Rondo got paid after one solid postseason so it could be much more for the much younger Nunn.
But hey, anything is possible and he already took a discount to play in LA so I would not be shocked to see him opt into his deal for year two. It might not make sense on paper, but neither did Montrezl Harrell opting into his player option just to be traded to Washington.
Nunn is getting better as a defensive player, although he is a bit small, and is going to be a solid scoring threat for the Lakers off the bench. He has averaged 15 points on 36.4% three-point shooting (38.1% last season) in his two-year career.
Last season he was almost a 50/40/90 guy as well! He shot 48.5% from the field, 38.1% from three and 93.3% from the free-throw line. If he makes the same jump that he did from year one to year two then he will be a 50/40/90 player; only one player in the league (Kyrie Irving) did that with at least 1,000 minutes played last season.