The Golden State Warriors are getting busy in bringing in NBA veterans for workouts, and among the most recent players they hosted were three former Los Angeles Lakers.
Kent Bazemore, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Stanley Johnson — who all had stints with the Lakers either last season or in the 2021-22 campaign — recently got chances to impress the Warriors.
“The Golden State Warriors continue to host NBA veterans for workouts,” wrote NBA insider Michael Scotto. “Recent participants included former Warriors Kent Bazemore, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Dewayne Dedmon, along with free agents Will Barton, Jaylen Nowell, Stanley Johnson and Derrick Favors, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Bazemore played for the Lakers in the 2021-22 season and was also a member of the organization in the 2013-14 season.
His stint with the Lakers in the 2013-14 campaign was one of the best statistical stretches of his career, as he averaged 13.1 points per contest across 23 games with the team. In the 2021-22 season, he appeared in 39 games for L.A. and averaged just 3.4 points per contest.
Toscano-Anderson had a short stint with the Lakers last season before being traded away. Across 30 games with the Lakers, he averaged 2.7 points per contest.
Johnson, meanwhile, played a pretty notable role for Los Angeles in the 2021-22 campaign, as he averaged 22.8 minutes per game across 48 appearances. He went for 6.7 points per game during a season most Lakers fans would probably like to forget.
The Warriors are evidently in the market for some veteran help. Of the former Lakers who recently worked out for Golden State, there’s no guarantee that any of them would see significant playing time for the Warriors, who are trying to contend for another NBA title.
But making it on a roster is the first step toward carving out a role, so Bazemore, Toscano-Anderson and Johnson would surely love to get a chance with the Warriors in the 2023-24 campaign.
Los Angeles and Golden State both project to be serious contenders in the Western Conference this season, and they may very well get in each other’s way. A playoff rematch is certainly not out of the question after the Lakers eliminated the Warriors in six games in the second round last season.
The season will begin next month, and time will tell if any of the aforementioned veterans land on rosters before opening night.
