1. Delon Wright
More so than anything else in the game of basketball, a big component of playing defense is simply putting in the effort. Granted, not everyone can be an elite defensive player and saying that if everyone simply tried they would be is a gross over-exaggeration. However, a lot of the bad defense we see at the NBA level boils down to a lack of effort, whether physically or being engaged mentally (looking at you, Westbrook).
If the Lakers want to sign someone that puts that effort on full display every single night, just like Alex Caruso used to do, then they should look no further than Delon Wright. Wright was such an important part of the Atlanta Hawks’ bench unit this past season and his effort on the defensive end shined through.
In 18.9 minutes per game Wright averaged a fairly high 1.2 steals per game. He was an analytical darling as well, posting a 2.4 defensive box plus/minus last season. For those keeping track at home, that ranked second in the league among guards with at least 1,400 minutes played.
This was not just one good season for Wright, either, as he has consistently been a positive presence on the defensive end. His career DBPM is 1.7. There are 92 guards in the league that has played 8,000 minutes since Wright came into the league in 2015. He ranks second among all of those guards in DBPM.
The drawback with Wright is his offensive limitations, as he averaged a measly 4.4 points per game last season. That being said, he is showing improvement in taking threes in a limited capacity and the Lakers could grow his offensive game in a similar way that they grew Alex Caruso’s.
You could make the case that Wright would cost the Lakers the Taxpayer MLE. However, with him jumping from team to team (he’s played for six teams in the last four seasons), I think it is safe to say he could go for the minimum at 30 years old.