The Los Angeles Lakers still haven’t made a move to add a player outside of the draft in the offseason, which is a concerning sign after they finished as the No. 7 seed and lost in the first round of the playoffs in 2024. There are multiple reasons for the Lakers’ lack of moves, but their biggest might be due to having to trade or waive someone before they add a player.
The Lakers have 15 players on their roster, so if they want to add a player in free agency, something would have to happen for that to be possible. With the Western Conference only getting better, that could be what they need to do to improve their chances of competing.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report looked at some of the top free agents still available, listing veteran Doug McDermott. Swartz named the Lakers as a “landing spot” for the 32-year-old.
“LeBron James plus shooters has long equaled success, yet the Los Angeles Lakers ranked just 24th in made threes per game last season (11.8). Rookie Dalton Knecht should help this cause, although the Lakers have made no other moves to bring in outside help and lost Taurean Prince in free agency to the Milwaukee Bucks.
“McDermott, 32, doesn’t do much else at this stage of his career, yet he remains an elite floor-spacer who would fit in well next to James and Anthony Davis. He nailed 47.8 percent of his pull-up threes and 40.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts last season between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers,” Swartz wrote on August 11. “The Pacers scored 7.1 more points per 100 possessions with McDermott on the floor (94th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass), and his defensive concerns would help be negated by playing alongside Davis.”
LeBron James Proved Why the Lakers Need to Be Aggressive in the Olympics
LeBron James added another honor to his impressive resume, earning the Olympic MVP honors on August 10. James played a key role in Team USA winning their fifth straight gold medal, averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in six games.
There weren’t many questions about his ability to still play at a high level, but due to being 39 years old, James is getting older in his career. However, as he showed during the Olympics, he still has plenty left in the tank.
More importantly, the Los Angeles Lakers were shown that James could still lead a team to the top. If they want to maximize their window with the aging all-time great, putting talent around him should be their goal.
How McDermott Would Help the Lakers
McDermott, who hit free agency this offseason after his three-year, $41.25 million deal concluded, has been a legitimate threat from 3-point range for much of his career. He’s shot 41.0% from 3-point range on 3.5 career attempts. In 2021-22, he shot 42.2% from deep on 5.0 attempts per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers attempted the fewest 3-point shots per game last season at 31.1. Giving James and Anthony Davis players who can hit shots at an above-average level could help their offense in a big way.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, new Lakers head coach JJ Redick plans to collaborate with Los Angeles’ analytics department to help the team take more 3-pointers. Redick understands it was an issue, saying, “I’m going to use math,” regarding their 3-point attempts.
