The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors square off in the most prolific second-round NBA Playoffs series in recent league history. LeBron James and Stephen Curry are two generational players and their respective teams are two of the most iconic in the league.
At the end of the day, only one team can advance while the other team is left with an early offseason. Regardless of which boat the Lakers fall in, this playoff series vs the Warriors might be a sneak peek into what the future entails as Rob Pelinka is going to get an up-close look at some potential targets.
3 Warriors that might be future Lakers offseason targets:
3. Donte DiVincenzo
Donte DiVincenzo signed a two-year deal with a player option for the second season with the Warriors last summer. The Warriors are known for being a factory to turn around role players and increase their value on the open market, so it seemed like the best long-term move the former Buck could make.
While DiVincenzo has not had a meteoric rise with the Warriors, he has improved his game and that likely will lead to him opting out for a bigger deal. Golden State does not have the means to pay him but the Lakers certainly could.
Donte DiVincenzo could be an MLE target for the Lakers.
DiVincenzo is the kind of player that the Lakers might look to add with their mid-level exception. If the team goes over the luxury tax then it likely won’t be enough but as a non-taxpaying team, the MLE would be more than enough.
DiVincenzo would add a nice two-way presence that would essentially serve as what every fan thought Lonnie Walker IV was going to be. He can knock down his shots as an off-ball shooter, can create his own shot here and there in the regular season and can play solid defense on the perimeter.
2. Ty Jerome
Ty Jerome is signed to a two-way deal with the Golden State Warriors and he got a decent amount of playing time during the regular season. Jerome appeared in 45 games for Golden State, averaging 18.1 minutes per game.
The numbers were fairly solid as well. Jerome is a one-trick pony in that his shooting is his best quality but he did well from beyond the arc. Jerome made 38.9% of his threes this season and 48.8% of his shots from the field. He played serviceable defense and his per-36 numbers are actually quite nice, checking in at 13.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
Jerome is not playing for the Warriors in the NBA Playoffs so Pelinka will not get a firsthand look at him in this series. However, the Lakers GM should already have done his homework as Jerome was someone who the team arguably should have already added.
Lakers could have signed Ty Jerome earlier this season
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets agreed to a trade right before the 2022-23 season that was merely moving pieces around. Houston acquired Jerome in the trade and quickly waived him, which is when the Lakers should have pounced.
Los Angeles ultimately did not pounce and Jerome landed with the Warriors. The team could right that wrong this offseason by bringing him in on a minimum NBA deal to be a backend rotation guy. If it pans out, his three-point shooting could force him to have a bigger role in the rotation next season.
If not, he will be a minimum signing that fills out the depth that LA needs to add anyway. Jerome is the second-most likely Warrior that could join LA, as No. 1 is a superstar name.
1. Draymond Green
This sounds asinine but there is a world in which Draymond Green could be donning the purple and gold next season. If anything, it seems increasingly likely that Green will not be with the Warriors next season, so that is at least a start.
Green has a player option for the 2023-24 season and this offseason is probably the last time he can get paid in free agency. He could throw the team a bone and opt in but it is much more likely that he opts out looking for a new deal.
With the new CBA severely punishing teams that go way over the luxury tax apron, the Warriors may have to bite the bullet and simply let Draymond walk. The Lakers might not be the favorites to sign Draymond in this situation but it certainly is possible.
Why the Lakers could actually land Draymond Green
Draymond and LeBron have not made it a secret that the two players really like each other and might even want to play with each other in the not-so-distant future. This is a player-driven league and that relationship is a huge start.
The Lakers also have the cap space to theoretically sign Green to a decent-sized contract. It won’t be a max deal but if they let D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba walk then they could sign Green to something along the lines of a three-year, $75 million contract.
Would that be enough? It is tough to say. Green really isn’t a max player at this point in his career but NBA teams get desperate. Would it even be the smartest thing the Lakers can do? Probably not, as Green might not be as valuable to the Lakers as he was to the Warriors.
But is it possible? Absolutely. As crazy as it sounds, Green is the most likely Warrior to join the Lakers this summer.