The Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time bringing in free agents. Less than three hours after free agency opened the Lake Show had already come to terms with four different players, three of which being external free agents.
The fourth free agent that the Lakers agreed to terms with is someone who has been connected to the team for a very long time: Cam Reddish. Lakers rumors tying Reddish to LA have dated back to his Atlanta Hawks days and instead of trading him, LA stayed patient and waited to sign him as a free agent.
Reddish’s stock has fallen in the league and while the monetary figures of his deal are still unknown, Lakers fans can be excited to watch Reddish in the purple and gold for at least the next two seasons.
Free agent Cam Reddish has agreed to a two-year deal with the Lakers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2023
Lakers’ Cam Reddish signing adds to impressive wing depth on the roster
One of the biggest needs for the purple and gold heading into the offseason was wing depth and the team may have already addressed it completely on day one of free agency. In addition to Reddish, Los Angeles also signed Taurean Prince (who is an excellent fit) and re-signed restricted free agent Rui Hachimura.
Assuming Austin Reaves comes back and is in the starting lineup, that gives the Lakers a bench unit trio of Prince, Hachimura and Reddish to all play wing minutes. Los Angeles didn’t really have a player like Prince last season and if Reddish can turn it around he can be a better version of Troy Brown Jr.
Reddish has not completely put it together in the NBA and his numbers do not look like the most appealing. That being said, he is a recent lottery pick that is still only 23 years old. If there is one team in the league that has gotten the most out of young players with potential it is the Lakers.
Reddish really hasn’t been in a situation that is great for him and the Lakers could be completely different. We already saw how it positively impacted Hachimura’s game and Reddish could see the same fate. Not only is it a better situation where he can develop, but is arguably still 2-3 years from entering his prime.
It is foolish to give up on that high of a lottery pick this early in his career, especially when you consider the situations he was in. The Lakers are smart to bring Reddish in on a team-friendly deal and the wing depth on the roster looks great because of it.