While the Los Angeles Lakers have a solid backcourt with starters D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, as well as reserves such as Gabe Vincent, Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie, it simply wasn’t good enough this season.
Russell and Reaves are seen as too weak defensively, and Russell has always been very inconsistent in the playoffs. Furthermore, none of the Lakers’ guards are particularly speedy in the open court.
On top of that, Russell can become a free agent this summer, while Dinwiddie and Christie will be free agents. The team has almost no wiggle room within the NBA’s increasingly suffocating salary cap, which would make re-signing them very difficult.
Therefore, reinforcements will be needed, and if the Lakers strike out on their big trade targets (or even if they land one of them), they may need to fill out their roster using the veteran’s minimum salary.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes they will make an offer to veteran point guard Kyle Lowry.
Via Bleacher Report:
“He’s probably better suited for a bench role, but Lowry is one of the great older veterans in the league,” wrote Pincus. “The Sixers may bring him back, either on a minimum contract or with part of their RMLE.
“While that seems like the most likely outcome, he’ll probably have minimum offers from the [Los Angeles] Clippers, Lakers and [Phoenix] Suns.”
Lowry was once a standout who made six straight All-Star teams, but he is now 38 years of age. His production has dropped greatly since his last All-Star appearance in the 2019-20 season, and this season, he put up 8.1 points and 4.2 assists a game. While he shot a strong 39.2% from 3-point range, he was at only 43.2% from the field overall.
The Lakers have had interest in Lowry in the recent past. They were reportedly looking to trade for him during the 2020-21 season, but they weren’t willing to give up Talen Horton-Tucker, who was then a promising young guard.