3. The Lakers could take a risk and sign T.J. Warren
If we want to talk about taking a chance on a player then we can go no further than T.J. Warren. Injuries have really slowed Warren’s career down as it really looked like he turned the corner into being something special during the Orlando bubble in 2020.
If Warren keeps a clean bill of health then he is probably in the Jerami Grant camp where he would be overpaid by a desperate team like he was a true second star. Grant might not be that but he is a very talented player that can still tap into some of that potential.
Warren enters the offseason as a Phoenix Suns free agent and has not yet been signed. Phoenix made a lot of moves to fill out the depth on day one and if Warren didn’t sign then, he may not even be on the Suns’ radar this summer.
That is where the Lakers could swoop in and hope to get the most out of Warren. The team needs as much forward depth as possible anyway with LeBron James not playing 82 games and Warren still has it in him where he can be a scoring threat that takes over and wins the second leg of a February back-to-back.
If it doesn’t work out then it won’t cost the Lakers anything as Warren would likely come in on a veteran minimum. But if it does work out the Lakers would suddenly have an important rotation player for a minuscule cost.