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Los Angeles Lakers: 6 potential free-agent targets with ties to Darvin Ham

By Jason Reed

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 05: Darvin Ham Assistant Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks talks with Wesley Matthews #23 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Fiserv Forum on January 05, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raptors defeated the Bucks 117-111. NOTE 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 John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 05: Darvin Ham Assistant Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks talks with Wesley Matthews #23 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Fiserv Forum on January 05, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raptors defeated the Bucks 117-111. NOTE 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 John Fisher/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

4. Dennis Schroder

We now transition to the players who have ties with Darvin Ham from his time with the Atlanta Hawks and we circle back to talking about a former member of the Lakers. Dennis Schroder spent the 2020-21 season with the Lakers and while it was a disappointment, he would still be better than the options the Lakers had last season.

Schroder is going to look to get paid more than a minimum deal this offseason but there is a decent chance that it is all he gets. After all, the most Schroder got last summer was a Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception deal and he did not really do anything this past season to raise that value.

Having both Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder would seem redundant but it would give the team a valuable backup point guard option that knows what it takes to play next to LeBron James. This is a great contingency to have with Westbrook.

It looks like the Lakers are going to be unable to trade Westbrook this summer and it seems more likely that the team will head into the season trying to fix the problem. That naturally won’t happen and it might be sooner rather than later that Ham and the Lakers simply tell Westbrook to stay home, looking to flip his expiring at the deadline.

Schroder is someone who can step in and play starting minutes at the point guard position and quite frankly, would probably be better for this team than Westbrook would be. Westbrook is more athletic and naturally gifted but Schroder is younger and does not have the basketball ego that makes him think he is still a star.

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