Ranking Lakers free agents by likelihood to return next season

4. Taurean Prince, UFA

Outside of the players in the starting lineup, an argument could be made that no one was more important to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023-24 than Taurean Prince. He was fifth in minutes per game for the Lakers during the regular season and appeared in 78 out of a possible 82 games.

Prince was sixth on the Lakers in minutes during the playoffs, thus confirming that he remained in general favor throughout the season.

As Prince enters unrestricted free agency, it's entirely possible that he will be back in Los Angeles in 2024-25. He signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Lakers last offseason and could be available in the same price range next season.

It doesn't hurt that, in an interview with Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation, Prince outright stated that he wants to re-sign with the Lakers this offseason.

"The quality of life in Los Angeles is something that myself and my family hasn't had in probably like three or four seasons. So to stay here would definitely be No. 1...I for sure want to be a Laker, 100%."

That may or may not increase the odds of Prince returning to Los Angeles, but it certainly adds to the intrigue.

Prince thrived once moving from the starting lineup to the second unit in 2023-24. After shooting just 42.7 percent from the field as a starter, albeit while knocking down 38.6 percent of his threes, he hit 47.2 percent of his field goal attempts and 42.1 percent of his shots from distance as a reserve.

If Prince is willing to re-sign for the minimum of roughly $3 million for a player with eight years of NBA experience, he could be a valuable asset for Los Angeles in 2024-25.