There have been a lot of players who have been on the Los Angeles Lakers over the last few seasons. This roster has had little to no turnover with the team bringing in multiple new players essentially every offseason.
Most of those former Lakers make up the remaining free-agent market, which says all that you need to know about the quality of players that Los Angeles was signing. However, there are also quality former Lakers throughout the league who make legitimate differences.
We already know about the likes of Alex Caruso, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, to name a few. There are more former Lakers who could make a bigger name for themselves next season as they could potentially explode with their respective new squads.
Here are 4 former Lakers who could explode on new teams in the 2022-23 season:
1. Malik Monk
This is the most obvious one. Malik Monk did not have a lot of value last summer but he showed signs of potential that the Lakers were willing to bet on. He had the pedigree of a recent lottery pick and in the right system, he could still shine.
Monk did exactly that with the Lakers as he was the team’s best role player and the second-best scorer in the rotation. While this was great to watch, Lakers fans knew throughout the entire season that Monk was playing himself above a Taxpayer MLE contract, which is all the Lakers could offer him.
Monk said a few times that money would not be the driving factor, but as it is every single time, it was.
It is a shame that Monk went to the Sacramento Kings not just because he is no longer a Laker but because he went to a Lakers rival. Plus, the Kings are not a team that is known for getting the most out of their players, so Monk’s success may not be as guaranteed.
That being said, Monk proved something last season and the Kings’ incompetence aside, he should build on last season with an even better year.