Over the years, Rob Pelinka has been a clear believer of taking another man's trash and trying to turn it into treasure. Some of those ventures have proven successful for the Los Angeles Lakers. Others have fallen completely flat. The history of that trend existing is ever-present all the same.
Where other general managers have taken opportunities on players who have not gotten needed opportunity with their old teams, Pelinka has attempted a different approach. The Lakers general manager has look toward high-end talent that has failed elsewhere, trying to mold a rotational player out of them.
Jaxson Hayes is the perfect example of when this approach has worked. After four disappointing campaigns of trying to live up to being a top-10 pick with the New Orleans Pelicans, Hayes has finally settled in nicely as a capable backup center. If you want an example of the other end of the spectrum, when this strategy does not work, look no further than Cam Reddish.
With all the cap space and roster spots that are expected to be available for the Lakers, one of these types of players is bound to end up in Los Angeles. This year's candidate could be Ochai Agbaji.
Lakers could try to unlock the undelivered upside of Ochai Agbaji
The Lakers could have already taken a swing at Agbaji before the 2026 trade deadline. The former Toronto Raptors wing was traded in a cap dump move to the Brooklyn Nets. Ochai showed some promise with his new team in the second half of the season.
After struggling with his 3-point shot in Toronto, Agbaji started hot in Brooklyn before regressing a touch to a mediocre but still improved percentage of 34.9 from deep with the Nets. There may have been just enough there for a team to take a shot on him in free agency.
As things stand, Agbaji would be a restricted free agent for the Nets, if they tender him. Should Brooklyn not feel the need and prefer to use their cap space elsewhere, the 25-year-old could be unrestricted.
Agbaji fits Pelinka's pattern of risk-taking. He's a former lottery pick from the 2022 NBA Draft that has not quite panned out, but still offers a level of intrigue.
The defense and athleticism with Agbaji is solid. His biggest swing skill at this crossroads of his career would be his shooting.
Agbaji flashed the ability to shoot 39.9 percent on 2.6 attempts per game from deep in 2024-25 with the Raptors. That type of success has not been closely matched in any of his other seasons.
His rookie season with the Utah Jazz, in which he shot 35.5 percent on 3.9 attempts from triple, comes closest. However, Agbaji now also has two seasons of shooting under 30 percent from 3-point land.
If the Lakers believe this is a jumper they can fix, they could add a cost-effective wing to a team that will need 3-and-D players around Luka Doncic. That makes Agbaji an ideal low-risk, high-reward gamble for Los Angeles in the summer.
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