Without a bunch of draft picks and a salary cap crunch, the Los Angeles Lakers are in need of inexpensive young players who can contribute.
D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dennis Schroder will be free agents this summer, and guard Malik Beasley has a team option for next season, which means some tough financial decisions are ahead.
It has a lack of true centers. Mo Bamba is the team’s only such player. He is due $10.3 million next season, which will become fully guaranteed this summer.
The bad news is, the Lakers had a viable and inexpensive rotation-caliber center under contract, Jay Huff. Huff had mostly played for the G League’s South Bay Lakers last season, but inexplicably, the organization waived him in October.
About a month ago, he signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards, and he has done well with them since.
It looks like the Lakers messed up on this one.