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Several of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotational players are about to become free agents. Much of the focus has been on guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell and forward Rui Hachimura, all of whom were huge factors in the team’s turnaround after the All-Star break.
But two other backcourt players, Dennis Schroder and Lonnie Walker IV, both of whom are about to hit the market, certainly made a contribution as well. Schroder started a number of games and provided ball handling, defense, toughness and occasional scoring. Meanwhile, Walker was a key scorer early in the season, fell out of the rotation, then reemerged in the playoffs to provide some pop off the bench.
According to Jovan Buha, the Lakers will try to keep both men on new contracts (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Athletic:
“The Lakers are also expected to try to retain unrestricted free agents Dennis Schröder and Lonnie Walker IV, though they do not have full Bird rights on either.”
Keeping both could get complicated given the restrictions of the NBA’s salary cap, especially if the team decides to use its mid-level exception on an outside player such as Bruce Brown, who it is reportedly interested in signing.