Lakers News: Former All-Rookie guard expected to re-join LA next season

Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported Tuesday morning that the Los Angeles Lakers are now expected to move on from Frank Vogel after this season and named some potential replacement candidates as well. Lost in the shuffle of that report was some Lakers news about the team getting reinforcements for next season.

According to Fischer’s sources, former All-Rookie guard Kendrick Nunn is expected to pick up his player option for the 2022-23 season that pays him $5.25 million. This is really beneficial for the Lakers as this is one less roster hole that the team does not have to worry about.

Nunn signed a two-year deal via the Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception last summer and it was expected that he would play far better than his contract was worth, upping his value to leave the Lakers this summer.

However, Nunn never actually touched the court as a Laker with a right knee injury that was originally diagnosed as a bone bruise. For that reason, Nunn picks up the contract hoping to increase his value next season with the team.

Kendrick Nunn returning to LA is huge Lakers news for the offseason.

It may not seem like huge Lakers news considering Nunn has not played at all this season but let’s not forget just how talented the young guard is. The Lakers really lacked true depth in the rotation this season and had to give big minutes to the likes of Avery Bradley and Talen Horton-Tucker, both of which struggled immensely this season.

While Nunn being healthy would not have fixed all the issues with this Lakers team, it would have given the team more quality depth and who knows, he alone could have swung 2-3 games for the Lakers and they would actually be in a spot to make the play-in.

Nunn is averaging 15.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game as a pro. His career three-point percentage is 36.4% but he shot 38.1% from beyond the arc in the 2020-21 season. He is not the best defender with his size, but he certainly is not as bad as some of the players currently on the Lakers.

Nunn is the perfect point guard to play next to LeBron James as he is not someone who demands the basketball and needs to run the offense. He can fit in as an off-ball shooter, which is exactly what a team needs in a point guard with LeBron being the primary playmaker. It helps to also have a secondary playmaker, which Nunn could do as well.

With the team trying to get rid of Russell Westbrook this summer, getting more point guard depth is a big deal. And while he has not yet played this season, as long as he does not suffer another injury before October, Nunn should be a valuable member of the team’s rotation next season.