Telepeer

Lakers accomplish free-agency goal of keeping core intact

July 4, 2023

SACRAMENTO — Before free agency officially started Friday afternoon, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka laid out the team’s approach to building the roster this offseason.

“We’ve been pretty clear since our last game with the success of making it to the Western Conference finals, we want to try our hardest to keep this core of guys together,” Pelinka said last Tuesday, “and also improve around the edges and on the margins to not only get back to where we were last year but hopefully take the next step and get into the NBA Finals.”

Within the first 24 hours after the negotiating window opened Friday afternoon, the Lakers delivered on the first half of Pelinka’s goal, making deals to bring back most of the core from last year’s playoff run.

The Lakers’ first move involving one of their own restricted free agents was agreeing to terms with forward Rui Hachimura on a three-year contract worth $51 million on Friday evening.

From there, the Lakers took care of their starting backcourt: free agent guard Austin Reaves agreed to return on a four-year, $56 million Early Bird maximum contract while D’Angelo Russell agreed to terms on a two-year, $37 million contract with the Lakers on Saturday.

Free agents can’t sign their new contracts until Wednesday at 9:01 p.m. PT after the free agency moratorium period ends.

But when those deals become official, the Lakers will return six (Hachimura, Reaves, Russell, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt) of the top seven players from last season’s playoff rotation.

Veteran guard Dennis Schröder is the lone player of those aforementioned seven who won’t return. He reportedly agreed to a two-year, $26 million deal with the Toronto Raptors as a replacement for Fred VanVleet, who is joining the Houston Rockets (three years, $130 million), ending Schröder’s second stint with the Lakers

The Lakers quickly locked up the player who is expected to be their backup point guard in Gabe Vincent, who agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal to leave the Miami Heat and join the Lakers on Friday.

Lonnie Walker IV (Brooklyn Nets), Malik Beasley (Milwaukee Bucks) and Troy Brown (Minnesota Timberwolves) are among the Lakers’ free agents who have reportedly agreed to terms on contracts with other teams.

Mo Bamba, Wenyen Gabriel and Tristan Thompson are unrestricted free agents who finished last season with the Lakers but have not agreed to deals.

Forward Taurean Prince (one year, $4.52 million), wing Cam Reddish (two years, $4.62 million with a player option for the second season) and center Jaxson Hayes (two years, $4.62 million with a player option for the second season) will join Vincent as the Lakers’ newcomers once the contracts become official.

The impact of those moves around the edges and how much of an upgrade the newcomers prove to be – if they are upgrades – will be determined once the season starts.

But in Prince and Vincent, the Lakers have added complementary two-way skillsets, while Reddish and Hayes bring youth and athleticism.

Ultimately, the Lakers’ moves were about giving the core an opportunity to build on the foundation they set for themselves when they went 18-9 to close out the regular season post-trade deadline before the playoff run.

They accomplished that.

“We believe in the proof of concept of this group,” Pelinka said. “We saw defensively what we were able to do to finish the season out and I think defense and rebounding wins championships. That’s the core of [Coach] Darvin Ham’s] system and our identity. We want to lean into that.

“We say it all the time, but we have one singular goal, it’s to add the 18th banner,” Pelinka said. “That’s our focus.”

Whether bringing the core back will be enough to accomplish that goal won’t be answered until the spring.

COACHING STAFF ADDITION

The Lakers are hiring DeMarre Carroll as an assistant on Ham’s coaching staff, a source confirmed to the Southern California News Group.

Carroll spent last season as an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s coaching staff with Milwaukee.

Ham was an assistant coach on Budenholzer’s Atlanta Hawks staff when Carroll played for them from 2013-15.

Carroll is the Lakers’ first addition to the coaching staff since Miles Simon, Jon Pastorek and Dru Anthrop left to join former Lakers coach Frank Vogel’s staff with the Phoenix Suns.

Carroll, 36, finished his 11-year playing career with the Houston Rockets in 2019-20.

TWO-WAY DEALS

The Lakers officially announced they have signed Colin Castleton and D’Moi Hodge to two-way contracts ahead of Monday afternoon’s summer league opener against the Miami Heat.

Both Castleton and Hodge are part of the Lakers’ summer league team that will play in Sacramento and Las Vegas.

Two-way contracts, introduced during the 2017-18 season, are intended for development. Players go back and forth between the franchise’s NBA team and its G League affiliate and cannot be on the NBA team’s active roster for more than 50 regular-season games.

Teams now have spots for three two-way contract players under the new collective bargaining agreement after previously having two.

Lakers |

Swanson: Lakers work margins in free agency, a job well done

Lakers |

Lakers fall to Heat in summer league opener at California Classic

Lakers |

Everything you need to know about the Lakers’ summer league team

Lakers |

Lakers keeping D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves on new deals

Lakers |

Lakers, center Jaxson Hayes agree on 2-year deal

Orange County Register