Report: Lakers being linked to 2 promising young forwards

The Los Angeles Lakers may want to run it back as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try to add another key player or two to their roster.

One day before the official start of NBA free agency, they have been reportedly linked to forwards Cam Reddish and Yuta Watanabe.

Reddish is a player Los Angeles has had interest in before. He was a former lottery pick in 2019 who stands 6-foot-7 and has been considered a player that has potential, especially on the defensive end of the court.

However, Reddish hasn’t put it all together, at least not yet. In four pro seasons he has averaged 10.3 points a game while shooting just 39.9 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

In February he was traded by the New York Knicks after falling out of their rotation to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that brought them Josh Hart. Hart became a key player for them as they finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and won their first playoff series in 10 years.

Watanabe, meanwhile, is another 6-foot-8 forward who has started to emerge as a dead-eye 3-point shooter, having made 44.4 percent of such attempts this season. He is a native of Japan who went undrafted in 2018, and he spent this season with the upstart Brooklyn Nets.

Although the Lakers acquired forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt at midseason, they could still use a true 3-and-D wing, as they currently do not have one. Hachimura has shown some promise on the defensive end, but he is mainly a scorer, and he does most of his damage from the midrange area and near the basket.

On the other hand, Vanderbilt quickly emerged as a defensive standout, but he is offensively limited. He is a poor 3-point shooter and has trouble converting baskets near the hoop in traffic.