Lakers fan favorite hits the open market at the perfect time for a reunion

The Los Angeles Lakers are less than 18 months removed from playing in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. It's a fact that fuels the belief that it's too soon to definitively write Los Angeles off as a factor in 2024-25.

As the Lakers look for ways to rediscover that form and take a step toward contending, a fan favorite from the 2022-23 roster has unexpectedly become available.

Los Angeles reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals due in no small part to the quality depth that flanked Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Davis and James were otherworldly, but the role players stepped up in crucial spots throughout the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Boston Celtics have parted ways with one of the players who helped Los Angeles reach the Conference Finals in 2023: Lonnie Walker IV.

The Lakers have a promising amount of perimeter depth, but as they look for last-minute additions who can elevate the team in 2024-25, a reunion with Walker could make sense.

Lakers have a chance to bring Lonnie Walker IV back to Los Angeles

Walker, 25, was one of the casualties of the new salary cap rules that struck fear in the hearts of NBA general managers. That includes the second apron, which teams will be heavily penalized for entering—including the loss of a franchise's mid-level exception and the inability to utilize multiple salaries to acquire one player in a trade.

It's one of the primary reasons Los Angeles remained quiet during the offseason, as it understandably feared the repercussions of entering the second apron.

With the 2024-25 regular season approaching, however, the time for financial creativity has arrived. Walker is an NBA-caliber wing who shoots efficiently and has a proven postseason track record, including the instrumental role he played in the Lakers' success in 2022-23.

For those unfamiliar, Walker famously scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of a 104-101 Lakers victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals.

It was one of three games during which Walker scored in double-figures during that series. A season later, he shot 38.4 percent from beyond the arc while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, and averaged a career-best 1.8 three-point field goals made per game.

Overall, Walker averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.8 three-point field goals made in just 17.4 minutes per game in 2023-24.

As the Lakers look to solidify the roster, adding Walker could provide a veteran presence and an established jump shot to the group. It remains to be seen how a contract would be structured, but there's reason to believe in the value he'd provide.

After a 2023-24 season during which the entire second unit was depleted by injuries, bringing Walker back seems to be more logical than ever before.