The Los Angeles Lakers have been very busy making moves since the start of free agency on Friday afternoon, and superstar LeBron James reacted to the moves on Saturday.
On Saturday, Reaves agreed to a four-year deal to stay with the Lakers. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this past season while knocking down 52.9 percent of his shots from the field and 39.8 percent of his 3-pointers. He figures to be a key part of the Lakers for the foreseeable future.
Rui Hachimura is back with the Lakers on a three-year deal worth $51 million. He was acquired by the Lakers in a midseason trade during the 2022-23 campaign and went on to record 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles in the regular season. At just 25 years old, he still has room to grow and should gets tons of minutes this season.
After tons of speculation, D’Angelo Russell is back on a two-year deal. He was also acquired in a midseason trade in 2023, and while he was benched in the 2023 playoffs, the Ohio State University product is a solid 3-pointer shooter and secondary playmaker that can take pressure off James’ shoulders.
Gabe Vincent joins from the Miami Heat on a three-year, $33 million deal. A hard-nosed defender and smooth scorer who can get to his spots often and get hot from deep, the former undrafted free agent could be a nice option off the bench for Darvin Ham.
Taurean Prince is a solid 3-and-D wing that should get a decent amount of minutes this season. He shoots 37.2 percent from beyond the arc from his career and is now on a one-year deal after spending the past two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jaxson Hayes is a big man the Lakers appear to have high hopes for. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the New Orleans Pelicans and will provide some nice depth behind Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.
Cam Reddish finally joins the Lakers after being linked to them for so long. He hasn’t been able to find his footing in the league so far, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance every so often. The former first-round pick has been solid on defense in his young career, but needs to improve on his 3-point shooting.
Jarred Vanderbilt is back for another go-around with the Lakers after being acquired by the team in the same deal that brought Russell back to Los Angeles. A top-notch defender, he was instrumental in the Lakers making it to the postseason, though he did see his playing time decrease in the playoffs.
All in all, it’s been a pretty successful offseason so far for the Lakers. They’ve addressed some holes on their roster and acquired lots of talented players. James appears to be on his way back for a 21st season in the league and will hope to lead his squad to another NBA title.
The Lakers made it to the Western Conference Finals last season but were swept by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
