Most of the roster from last year’s Los Angeles Lakers team is still available on the free-agent market as late as August. That is a telling sign of just how bad the roster was last season and how the rest of the league views those players.
The only player that finished the team with the Lakers last season and has gotten a new deal is Malik Monk. DeAndre Jordan has somehow also gotten a contract from an NBA team. Aside from that, any free agent from last year’s team is still without a job.
While it is looking bleak right now, some of those free agents should at least find a team before the 2022-23 season starts.
Here are the 3 Lakers free agents who should get signed before the 2022-23 season:
1. Carmelo Anthony
There is speculation around the Los Angels Lakers potentially re-signing Carmelo Anthony, so who knows, perhaps he comes back to LA for one more season. Carmelo still has value as an NBA rotation player as he has taken on a lesser role as an off-ball shooter gracefully.
He showed several times last season that he can still have big nights where vintage Melo comes out to play and that is valuable to any NBA team. He is not someone who is drastically going to move the needle but as regular-season depth, Melo is a good option.
That being said, personally, I would rather see the Lakers use the roster spot either on a young player like Cole Swider or on another three-point shooter that can come via trade (such as Buddy Hield or Joe Harris with Kyrie Irving).
Carmelo still deserves some kind of role before the 2022-23 season, though.
2. Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard already has another career path lined up if he doesn’t find a team this offseason and is essentially forced into retirement. While Howard is undoubtedly getting up there in age, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer still has value in this league that some team should be exploring.
The fact that DeAndre Jordan got signed before Howard is insane. We all saw Jordan in Los Angeles last season and while Howard was by no means an elite center, he was a far better option out there on the court than Jordan was.
But hey, let the Denver Nuggets convince themselves that Jordan can add something. His role on the team is pretty small anyway as he is backing up Nikola Jokic but the team still could have gotten much more out of Howard.
Any team that needs a traditional five would be better if they brought Howard in and a team that is making a run for the title might prefer someone with experience like Howard over someone without much winning experience like Hassan Whiteside.
A team like the Boston Celtics could use a big body like Howard, especially if they make a three-for-one trade for Kevin Durant. With Robert Williams’ injury concerns, just having that extra option is key.
3. Avery Bradley
Avery Bradley was frustrating to watch at times last season. While his overall numbers seemed fine, he should not have gotten as big of a role as he did in the Lakers’ rotation. Frank Vogel loved Bradley and overplayed him, showcasing his weaknesses.
Bradley was fine on the defensive end but he does not do enough offensively to warrant big-time minutes. Granted, he was not helped by the fact that he had to play alongside Russell Westbrook, but Bradley has entered a stage in his career where he should have a lesser role off the bench.
That being said, he still has value to a contending team in being a two-way bench guy that can come in and play decent perimeter defense and potentially knock down a few off-ball threes. Bradley is by no means an elite defensive player but he can certainly hold his own on the perimeter, especially against guards.
There will be a smart team that brings Bradley in and utilizes him to the best of his ability. The Lakers were not able to do that but there are better front office’s and coaching staffs that could absolutely maximize him as a pro next season.
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Because of the type of player he is and the fact that he is still only 31 years old, it would be shocking if Bradley does not find a home for the 2022-23 season.