Ranking Lakers' Priorities for 2023 NBA Free Agency
The Los Angeles Lakers overhauled their roster—and saved their season—at the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
They'll soon have to pay the bill for that flurry of moves.
Several of the key players whom they added are ticketed for free agency, though one of their incumbents might outrank them all in terms of importance to re-sign. With that in mind, let's explore (and rank!) the Purple and Gold's top three priorities for free agency.
3. Pick the Right Price for Rui Hachimura
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L.A.'s first move of its active trade season was acquiring Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards. The Lakers coughed up three second-round picks in the deal—plus Kendrick Nunn as salary-filler—but the bigger cost still awaits them.
Hachimura, who has been a glaringly bright spot this postseason, is about to enter restricted free agency.
His numbers aren't quite impressive enough to necessitate a massive payday, though his draft pedigree (No. 9 pick in 2019) and physical tools could convince some team to put a significant offer sheet on the table. He has never become the defensive presence his build says he should be, but he is a super-skilled scorer inside the arc who gets really interesting when his outside shots find their mark.
There is absolutely a walk-away price point for the Lakers, but there will be some ferocious debates should he fetch an offer that slightly exceeds it.
2. Re-Sign D'Angelo Russell or Make Another Run at Kyrie Irving?
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It's possible the Lakers' plans at point guard will prove their costliest move of the offseason, particularly if they choose to circle back to trade deadline target—and LeBron James' former championship co-star—Kyrie Irving.
L.A. reportedly does not intend to pursue Irving, per The Athletic's Tim Cato. Even if the Lakers are leaning that direction now, though, it's hard to imagine they've made a definitive decision before knowing how Irving's market shakes out and how far they can extend their playoff run.
The primary alternative to chasing Irving would be re-signing D'Angelo Russell, whom they originally drafted second overall in 2015. However, the Lakers are Russell's fourth different team in the past five seasons, which speaks to the challenge of weighing his defined strengths against his clear weaknesses.
Russell's market feels impossible to read. He is a gifted offensive player, but he isn't always as efficient or consistent as his teams would like. Couple that with his defensive limitations, and he's an awfully hard player to price regardless of where he signs.
1. Keep Austin Reaves
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Is it hyperbolic to label Austin Reaves, a reserve for most of his first two seasons, the Lakers' top free-agency priority? Not at all.
He has perhaps emerged as the club's most consistent player outside of stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Reaves perpetually elevated over the course of the 2022-23 campaign, so his season averages arguably don't reflect the kind of player he is. And that's saying something since said averages included 13.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds with a 52.9/39.8/86.4 shooting slash.
As a 24-year-old sophomore who starts on a team with championship aspirations, he has both the polish to appeal to win-now teams and the potential to attract future-thinking shoppers. In other words, his restricted free agency could get awfully expensive.
As B/R's Eric Pincus noted, clubs with cap room could offer Reaves as much as $98.7 million on a four-year deal.
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