The Lakers have more players under contract than they can field heading into the season, but they also still have a clear question mark as to who will occupy the starting power forward role next year.
With limited assets, both financially and in terms of trade chips, and few targets left on the market, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report looks at three potential solutions to shore up the starting frontcourt: Jonathan Kuminga, P.J. Washington, and De’Andre Hunter.
Kuminga has struggled to find the kind of contract he is looking for, and the Hawks have built out their wing depth significantly this summer. A sign-and-trade would likely be the only pathway for the Lakers to acquire him, and would likely have to include two of Jaden Hardy, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Dalton Knecht, though a third team would probably be needed in order to keep the Hawks out of the tax.
It was previously reported that the Lakers were offering “significantly” more to Kuminga than the Timberwolves, who are also said to hold some level of interest.
Washington is a pretty ideal fit for the Lakers’ needs and has plenty of experience playing with Luka Doncic in Dallas. The Mavericks have a logjam at the forward positions, but still seem to value Washington and could ask for more than what the Lakers are able to give. Hunter would probably cost the least in a deal and isn’t quite the defender that Los Angeles needs, but he can shoot the ball and has good size.
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
De’Anthony Melton recently re-signed with the Warriors on a two-year deal that includes a player option in year two. While the initial reporting was that he had signed an $11MM deal, his final number came in slightly higher than expected, at $12.46MM total, Spotrac’s Keith Smith notes (via Twitter). He will earn $6.06MM in year one, and the second-year player option is for $6.4MM.
Malevy Leons impressed the Warriors‘ coaching staff in Summer League with his offensive rebounding and willingness to take open shots, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. With both Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler injured to start the season, the team will badly need wings who step up and provide the kind of tenacious, gritty playstyle the team values during the regular season, and Johnson writes that, after playing 25 games for Golden State last season, Leons could be in a position to do just that.
The Clippers‘ No. 5 overall pick, Keaton Wagler, is attempting to make the transition from his 70K hometown of Shawnee, Kansas to Los Angeles. That’s where the NBA’s Rookie Transition program is so helpful, Tomer Azarly writes for ClutchPoints. The program’s first session was ahead of Summer League in Las Vegas, which Wagler said covered many important areas, from on-court role changes to off-court keys to success. “Having … people who are in the Hall of Fame that want to teach you and you can learn a lot from them, how they went about their days in the NBA, how hard they had to work to win games,” Wagler said. “*… Chris Bosh had talked to us, kind of before that, too, and said that, you know, his role has changed when he was in Miami with LeBron, and he turned more into a defensive role player versus a scorer. And I just think, you know, it’s, it’s being like the willing to help the team win no matter what your role is on the team.*“