2 free agents the Lakers may regret missing out on from day 1 of FA

2. Joe Ingles

This is an interesting case study as Joe Ingles would have had to be the team’s Taxpayer MLE signing if the Lakers were going to bring him in. Ingles ended up signing the MLE with the Milwaukee Bucks, who are a better contender than the Lakers next season.

That being said, the Lakers play in sunny Los Angeles where it is 70 degrees in January as opposed to the weather that they get in Milwaukee. If both teams were offering the MLE, it is not crazy to think that Ingles would have taken the deal from the Lakers.

Instead of Ingles, the Lakers signed Lonnie Walker IV with the team’s MLE. While I like the move in principle, it is an interesting fit for the Lakers. Walker has not been the best shooter in the league, is undersized for a two-guard and does not play good defense.

Again, I like the idea of the team bringing in a young player with the MLE to try and get the most out of them but should that player have been Walker? If Ingles can return from his injury and be the same player he would have been far better than Walker.

And that is just it: Ingles’ injury. We have no idea what version of Ingles is going to show up post-injury just like we don’t know if the Lakers are going to be able to get the most out of Walker. There is a world in which Ingles is great and Walker is horrible. There is a world in which Ingles is not the same guy and Walker takes a massive step forward. They could both be great, they could both end up being bad.

On paper, I like Ingles’ chances of being productive more than Walker’s and for that reason, it makes Ingles a potential regret candidate for the Lake Show.