The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the 2025-26 season as one of the top teams in what will be a very competitive Western Conference.
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The Lakers had themselves quite the offseason. While many expected them to make a massive trade or two, they instead made three critical signings.
LA added two key wings to their roster in Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, and revamped their center position - one in which they desperately lacked depth in the second half of the season - by adding former No. 1 overall pick, DeAndre Ayton.
Those three players are set to play a crucial role for the Lakers this season. Each of them can be a difference maker to the team, or at least that is the expectation.
While the Lakers love the pieces they acquired, they were reportedly close to adding veteran wing, Bruce Brown.
Brown, who ultimately signed with the Denver Nuggets this summer, said in a recent interview with Bennett Durando of the Denver Post that the Lakers were in the mix this summer when deciding his free agency choices.
"I was like, ‘You know what, I don't care how much (I get offered). If I get somewhere more, I don't care. I'm just gonna go back to Denver because I just think it's a perfect fit for me,'" Brown said. "Playing style, and I mean, I want to win again. So I think it was a pretty quick answer for me once I found out they wanted me back."
The Lakers had been in the mix for Brown for the past year and a half. LA has made multiple attempts to acquire Brown, but for one reason or another, they have been unable to.
Brown has been a thorn in the Lakers’ side, especially in his lone season with the Nuggets during the 2022-23 season. In the Western Conference Finals, Brown was spectacular, tormenting the Lakers every opportunity he got en route to averaging 12.3 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
The Lakers will see the Nuggets three times this season, starting on Jan. 20 in the Mile High City.
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