A top insider believes the Los Angeles Lakers should be wary of re-signing a specific player from their roster this summer, and it is not restricted free agent Austin Reaves.
While the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have much salary cap space to make major moves in NBA free agency or the assets to swing a game-changer trade this summer, they still have several important priorities to achieve if they hope to maintain their high level of play from this past season.
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Heading into the new year, the Los Angeles Lakers were a team below .500 and struggling in the Western Conference. However, several key players ended up playing major roles in the team’s rise to relevancy in the final months of the season and their deep run in the playoffs. Those impact talents were Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell. Unfortunately for LA, all three are free agents this summer.
Is D’Angelo Russell the bigger risk for Los Angeles Lakers in NBA free agency?
There has been a lot of speculation about the market for restricted NBA free agent Reaves, and how it could lead to a very risky $100 million offer the team will likely match. On Tuesday, ESPN NBA insider Nick Friedell spoke to Sportsnaut about a potential Reaves deal and how matching a massive offer sheet is something the Lakers have to do.
“It’s a gamble for the Lakers that you almost have to take,” said Friedell. “Because he was so important for that team a year ago. And it seems like he’s still getting a lot better. If you’re the Lakers though there aren’t a lot of options that you have. … If you’re the Lakers, I don’t think you have much of a choice.”
However, Friedell does not seem to think Reaves is the biggest risk to bring back despite being an undrafted player with a lot still to prove. Instead, the long-time NBA reporter believes there are far more perils for the Los Angeles Lakers if they re-sign D’Angelo Russell.
“The thing that I would caution any Lakers fan about is if you’re banking on D’Angelo Russell to be some kind of major difference-maker in the postseason, good luck. D’Angelo Russell can put up a bunch of points and he’s a really solid player. But when you need the players that are going to make the plays and hit the shots late in games that matter, that is not a guy who would be high on my list.”
– Nick Friedell
Both the Lakers and Russell will have limited options in NBA free agency this summer. Making a reunion very likely for both sides this summer.
