The Los Angeles Lakers need to add more at their forward spots. There was a former NBA champion sitting in free agency who would have provided an excellent opportunity to add utility at those positions, but the Lakers let it slip away. Chris Haynes broke the news on Thursday evening.
"Free agent wing Kenrich Williams has reached an agreement to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a one-year, $5M deal, league sources tell me."
Even on a team as stacked as the Thunder, Williams found a way to be a meaningful contributor throughout the 2025-26 campaign. The OKC forward averaged 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game, shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.
That is a lot of steady and reliable production to be adding for the small price of $5 million in 2026-27. The Lakers could have benefitted from bringing in the veteran forward to Los Angeles on a similar type of deal. Instead, Williams will stay put in Oklahoma City as a depth option.
Kenrich Williams' two-way play would have earned him minutes in Los Angeles
There are depth chart projections out there with this current Lakers roster that would have Jarred Vanderbilt positioned for minutes off the bench. Stacking up Williams against Vanderbilt offers a very clear winner for who would be more deserving of playing time. Hint: it is the guy Los Angeles does not employ.
Williams has stuck around as a viable option off the bench for a long time in the NBA. There is good reason for that.
It sounds a touch cliche, but the Thunder forward really does give you all the little things you would want out of a hard-working role player. You do not just luck into a nickname like "Kenny Hustle" without being that type of player.
Williams is a capable and versatile defender on that side of the court. There is an ability to guard multiple positions and even scale up against bigger matchups that Los Angeles could have greatly benefitted from.
Offensively, Williams has comfortably shot above league average from deep for the last four NBA seasons. The 31-year-old has posted 38.6 percent on his attempts from distance over that timespan.
This could have been an easy upgrade to the rotation for the Lakers. Instead, Williams will continue to be yet another option for a stacked Thunder team that is not short of good ones.
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