Exclusive:: Lakers Named ‘Landing Spot’ for Former $41 Million Elite 3-Point Shooter
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.”
