Report: Lakers make several roster moves as team prepares for matchup vs. Warriors

The Los Angles Lakers have made multiple roster moves ahead of their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

The team signed L.J. Figueroa and Shaquille Harrison and released Dwayne Bacon and Javante McCoy in order to make room for them.

Bacon had signed with the Lakers last month and played in two preseason games for the team, recording averages of 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. McCoy did not appear in any preseason games. Both of them will have to continue their professional careers elsewhere.

Here’s a look into what the two new players can bring to the floor for the Lakers.

Figueroa

A stocky 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard, Figueroa spent last season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate.

He averaged 16.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal per contest in 32 regular season games with Santa Cruz. He also shot 32.3 percent from deep and 78.1 percent from the charity stripe.

The University of Oregon product had many impressive showings, including a nice 25-point, 10-rebound outing against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Harrison

Harrison is an older guard that has plenty of NBA experience. He’s appeared in 175 NBA games, recording 5.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He even appeared in two contests for the Brooklyn Nets last season.

The University of Tulsa product spent the majority of last season with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate. In 27 regular season games with the Blue Coats, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

While Harrison had some nice numbers on offense, he stood out more on defense. In fact, the 29-year-old was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, as he stifled opponents all season long.

Los Angeles could definitely use some of that intensity on defense. That’s an area it struggled in mightily last season, finishing 21st in the league with a 112.8 defensive rating.

Maybe the influx of youth the Lakers have seen this offseason can help them get back to playing the type of defense that helped them win a title back in 2020.

Harrison and Figueroa are surely hoping that they can get chances to prove that they belong on the roster. Los Angeles has three more preseason games left before getting its regular season started on Oct. 18 against Golden State.