The Lakers unexpectedly made the Western Conference Finals last season but they'll need to lock down these three free agents to make it farther next year.
The Los Angeles Lakers had a very interesting season — they were the No. 13 seed in the middle of the season and then ended up in the Western Conference Finals after the team made some upgrades at the trade deadline. The Lakers are looking to retain most of their players as they head into next season and build on last season's success.
L.A. has a trade chip in Malik Beasley but the team does not have a lot of free agent options beyond re-signing their own free agents. The team has a pair of restricted free agents who could be the difference in whether this team is a title contender this season.
Most important targets for the Lakers: 3. Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves is an essential free-agent target for the Lakers this offseason. Luckily, he is a restricted free agent which means that the Lakers could match any offer that a team offers for the player.
If the Lakers were to lose out on Reaves, this would be a huge embarrassment for the team. The young player is a plus starter who is still developing his upside. Toward the end of last season, he ended up looking like a player who could create his own shot well enough to be his own scoring threat.
Reaves still has a lot of time to develop as he has only played full two years in the league and is 25 years old. According to Marc Stein, the Lakers will match any offer up to $100 million for the player. If the Lakers follow through on this report, this would signal that Reaves ended up staying as a Lakers for the foreseeable future.
Most important targets for the Lakers: 2. Rui Hachimura
Rui Hachimura was acquired at the trade deadline for a couple of second-round picks. He was not expected to be paid by the Wizards and they basically gave him away to the Lakers because of that.
With the Lakers, he was able to reach his offensive potential. He was key in the playoffs as he hit multiple shots from the 3-point line. He was also a very solid offensive creator for the team and he is going to get paid this offseason.
The Lakers are a team that has had concerns about the luxury tax in the past but Hachimura will most likely stay with the Lakers. Like Reaves, he is a restricted free agent and the Lakers can match any offers for Hachimura.
Most important targets for the Lakers: 1. D'Angelo Russell (on a team-friendly deal)
D'Angelo Russell is a player that struggled for the Lakers in the playoffs. He was a solid player for the team during the rest of the regular season after being acquired at the trade deadline. Still, he didn't play well on the offensive end in the postseason and his defense was a disaster. The Lakers do not have a lot of cap space and could use Russell as a trade chip. If the Lakers were able to get Russell on a $60 million deal over three years, they could potentially use this as a trade chip at the deadline next season.
A team that doesn't have a lot of offense in the playoffs could use Russell. The Lakers could also look for a sign-and-trade deal where they are able to get assets in return for helping an over-cap team sign Russell this offseason. While that would be the ideal solution for the Lakers, that situation is a bit unlikely due to the fact that it is a situation where you have to be a bit lucky finding the right partner.
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