22 Players the Los Angeles Lakers gave up on way too soon

By Tyler Watts | Mar 25, 2023

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball during the game against the Miami Heat at Staples Center on February 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

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Los Angeles Lakers, Tony Campbell (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images) /

19. Tony Campbell

Campbell was drafted in the late first round in 1984, and he went through two teams before arriving in LA. The Lakers signed the 6’7 wing in March of 1988. He had not played an NBA game until that point in the season, but he averaged 11.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per over 17 contests down the stretch. He stayed in Los Angeles for one more season where his minutes dipped to 12.5 per game.

The Lakers let him walk in free agency in 1989, and he signed with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves. Campbell immediately became their leading scorer. He averaged over 23 points per game in his first season in Minnesota and follow it up with 21.8 a night in his second year. The Timberwolves won 66 games during his three seasons in Minnesota, but the 6’7 wing took his game to another level as he scored over 20 points each night.

Campbell was traded to the Knicks in 1992 where he went back to playing an 18-minute per-game bench role. New York reached the conference finals in 1993, but the 6’7 wing fell out of the rotation in the postseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers gave up on Tony Campbell too soon. He was just entering his prime when he left for Minnesota, and the 6’7 wing showed what he could do with the Timberwolves.

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