Lakers Winners and Losers from 2024 NBA Free Agency
The Los Angeles Lakers mostly kept quiet during 2024 NBA free agency.
They've still managed to spawn a couple of winners and one loser coming out of it.
While further movement from the franchise might change these selections, let's look at which Lakers gained or lost something in free agency.
Winner: Max Christie
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Max Christie faced an uncertain market in restricted free agency. The 2022 second-round pick logged fewer than 1,500 minutes of floor time across his two NBA seasons and hadn't exactly flashed high-end potential when his number was called.
Given how thorny restricted free agency can be, he could've wound up waiting days, weeks or even months for money that wasn't guaranteed to come. Instead, the Lakers handed him a four-year, $32 million deal (with a player option) before the market even opened.
That's good money for someone who hasn't received much of an opportunity, plus it gives him some wiggle room with that player option in case he outperforms his new play rate. The fact he scored his contract so early in the process proves he's a priority for the Purple and Gold, and he could wind up handling a much bigger role under new coach JJ redick.
"I think both of us are really on the same schedule, if you will, in terms of how I want to be used and how he wants to use me within the offense, within the rotation," Christie told The Athletic's Jovan Buha. "… I'm going to be a good part of the offense and defense and the rotation just in general, so I'm looking forward to that."
Loser: Jalen Hood-Schifino
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Jalen Hood-Schifino was the 17th pick in last summer's draft. He wound up 40th among his draft classmates in NBA minutes, as he logged just 109 in total across 21 appearances.
If there's a reason to believe his outlook will change as a sophomore, free agency didn't provide it.
Hood-Schifino should have multiple avenues to playing time as a combo guard, but they all have traffic in front of him. With D'Angelo Russell picking up his $18.7 million player option, and Max Christie getting his new deal, the Lakers are at least two-deep at both guard spots. And that's before accounting for Dalton Knecht or even Bronny James factoring into the equation.
What's going to get Hood-Schifino on the hardwood? A trade out of Hollywood, maybe? Perhaps Russell gets traded away, or Gabe Vincent struggles with injuries again, but if these obstacles aren't cleared out, it's hard to see Hood-Schifino seeing much of an expansion with his role.
Winner: LeBron James
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LeBron James might not be completely sold on L.A.'s summer, but he should still be pleased with how his free agency played out.
He scored a $48.7 million salary for next season, per Spotrac, and a $52.6 million player option for the following campaign if he runs it back for his age-41 season. His contract even included a seldom seen no-trade clause, a perk he shares with only Bradley Beal.
Could James have won even bigger in free agency? Maybe. He was open to taking a bigger paycut if L.A. landed an "impact player," but no one on his wish list signed with his squad.
Still, it's hard to imagine he has any regrets over how this process played out.
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