Mock GM Lakers Part 3: Veteran Minimum contract options and final roster outlook
How does the Lakers roster turn out after this offseason with the final signings?
In part 2 of this Mock GM: Lakers series I discussed trade options for Russell Westbrook and came to the conclusion that the Lakers will say “f them picks” and acquire Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield from the Pacers while giving up Westbrook along with two future first-rounders that could become extremely valuable. The window to compete with LeBron James is closing soon if it hasn’t closed already. The Lakers are going into this chaotic offseason with one of the worst free-agent classes in the history of the NBA.
In part 1 of the series, I had Thaddeus Young signing with the Lakers for the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to provide defensive versatility and veteran leadership. Obviously, Malik Monk was the #1 choice but I just don’t think that Monk will sign for such a discount at $6,339,000. Nonetheless, the Lakers will enter the final signing period with this roster and salary outlook:
PG/SF/PF: LeBron James, Salary: $44,474,988
PF/C: Anthony Davis, Salary: $37,980,720
PG/SG: Malcolm Brogdon, Salary: $22,600,000
SG: Buddy Hield, Salary: $20,522,726
SF/PF: Thaddeus Young, Salary: $6,339,000 (through MLE)
PG/SG: Kendrick Nunn, Salary: $5,250,000
SF/PF: Stanley Johnson, Salary: $2,351,521
PG/SG: Austin Reaves, Salary: $1,563,518
SF/PF: Wenyen Gabriel, Salary: $1,878,720
Remaining roster spots to be filled: 5 through Veteran Minimum signings or 4 if the Lakers decide to bring up Mac McClung full time.
Total salary already for 2022-2023 NBA season before Veteran Minimum signings and after the Westbrook trade: $142,961,193
The Lakers will already have to pay the luxury tax before the Westbrook trade so even though after the trade they get below the luxury tax it won’t affect them already being over the cap for the 2022-2023 NBA season. Now the Lakers have the option to bring up Mac McClung and sign just 3 players to Veterans Minimum contracts, or just put McClung on a two-way contract and find 4 players to sign during this period.
So who are the guys that would be the best fit? Obviously, the Lakers need versatile wings, but they are a dime or dozen with this free-agent class. If I am the Lakers I am getting two versatile wings, a guard who can shoot, and an interior monster like Hassan Whiteside. So here we go.
Veterans Minimum contract possibilities:
Hassan Whiteside, C, Expected Salary: Minimum- 6 million
For me, this is priority #3 this offseason for the Lakers. First, they need to trade Westbrook, and second, they need to sign a versatile wing with their MLE. The first minimum contract signing to fill out the final 6 roster spots should be Hassan Whiteside. Although many people still question Whiteside’s work ethic, his production in limited minutes is otherworldly and he is still one of the best interior defenders in the league.
Whiteside only averaged 17.9 minutes per game, but put up averages of 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game with a TS% of 66.2, an eFG% of 65.2, and a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 22.96 (which ranks 11th in the NBA despite playing limited minutes). The statistics don’t lie and Whiteside is one of the most productive and efficient players in the NBA, especially on the defensive end.
On a per 40-minute basis, Whiteside would average over 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game, and Whiteside would provide the Lakers with elite interior defense to go alongside Anthony Davis. This was part of the recipe to winning the championship in 2020 as Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis provided a dangerous tandem on the interior defensive end, and this could be replicated with Whiteside.
I can’t stress this signing enough and all 32 teams continue to overlook Whiteside despite him being an analytical gem so his market value remains as a veteran’s minimum contract. The Lakers should promise Whiteside 25 minutes per game and to be the premier inside guy alongside Anthony Davis.
Dewayne Dedmon, C, Expected Salary: minimum-5 million
Dedmon may demand more money with the way he is playing in the playoffs, but as of right now it is still hard to believe that anybody will confidently give Dedmon anymore than 5 million dollars a year. The Miami Heat found a gem in Omer Yurtseven and really don’t need Dedmon back next season if they can continue to develop Yurtseven (who is already a more polished offensive player and better rebounder than Dedmon).
If that is the case and the Heat decide to go in a separate direction with Dedmon, expect the Lakers to be active in reaching out to see if Dedmon would be interested in signing for less money to play on a possible contending team. Dedmon averaged 6.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game and it’s hard for me to believe that any team would give him over 3-5 million annually even with his impact on a winning team. This is an option only if the Lakers miss out on Hassan Whiteside since Dwight Howard has turned into a good locker room presence who can be the third center in a rotation.
Jarrett Culver, SF, Expected Salary: Anywhere from the league minimum-3 million
Culver is an interesting option this free agency period. He is still only 23 years old but hasn’t proven much in the NBA other than being a really good perimeter defender. Although the Lakers do need to get younger and desperately need better perimeter defense, both of which Culver provides,, Culver’s three-point shooting is extremely concerning.
He has never developed into a good shooter, and it would not be wise to invest a mid-level exception into a guy that can’t shoot. Culver shot 29.9% from 3 his rookie year, 24.5% his sophomore year, and 25.5% this year.
It is hard to dictate Culver’s market, but I would be surprised if he gets anything over 3 million annually. The Lakers could use one of their minimum contracts on Culver as a high-risk high-reward signing, but this should be a last resort type of consideration.
Danuel House: SF/PF, Expected Salary: Minimum
House doesn’t do anything that jumps off the board, but he is a consistent 3PT shooter (37.6%) and can defend both the wing and the guard positions. He is still young (28 years old) and put up just under 6 points and 3 rebounds per contest while only playing 17.3 minutes per game.
He was an integral part of the Utah Jazz’s top 10 defense and should be able to provide 20+ minutes of good defense and smart offensive basketball plays off of the bench for the Lakers. He is expected to be in consideration for a minimum contract from a lot of teams, but he could come over to the Lakers if he wants to continue to prove himself on a team looking to contend.
Dwight Howard, C, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
Howard is regressing season by season, but he is a good locker room presence and rebounds at a very high level. His interior defense is still above average and if he is the second/third-string center, that is a win for the Lakers. They will only be in trouble if Howard becomes a serious rotational player of more than 10-15 minutes per game next season. I think they should give Howard another chance as one of their final roster spots.
Wayne Ellington, SG, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
On the contrary belief of most Lakers fans, I want Ellington back on a minimum deal. He wasn’t given enough opportunities toward the end of the season despite the Lakers having a stagnant offense. Now I know people want Ellington gone because of his defense, but it always helps to have a shooter this consistent alongside LeBron James regardless of whether or not he is a good defender.
The Lakers don’t have any consistent 3-point shooting on the roster for next season yet so signing Ellington would provide some instant catch-and-shoot offense that I think helped tremendously this season when implemented properly. Vogel didn’t know how to coach a successful offense with this roster so Ellington shouldn’t be the one to blame for him not being used properly. He still averaged 6.7 points with a TS% of 59.3, an eFG% of 58.6, and a 3PT% of 38.9 on five 3-point attempts per game. If they lose out on Monk, Ellington could be useful for instant offense.
Andre Drummond, C, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
Lakers fans won’t be pleased to see this name after his mostly unsuccessful stint with the Lakers two seasons ago, but if you really think about it, Drummond provided great interior defense and dominant offensive rebounding, helping lead the Lakers to the #1 defense that season without Anthony Davis and LeBron James for a substantial period of time.
Drummond averaged 7.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game with TS% of 57.4 and an eFG% of 57 in just over 19.7 minutes per game (By far the lowest of his career since his rookie season).
The point is that Drummond is cheap and the Lakers could use great interior defenders along with Anthony Davis and hopefully Hassan Whiteside. If the Lakers can get Drummond over Howard, they need to choose Drummond who is younger and may have something to prove with his diminishing production over the past two seasons.
Tony Snell, SF, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
Tony Snell is a proven defender and a veteran that can hit 3’s, free throws, and makes all the right basketball plays. Too many people make fun of Snell for his 30+ minute stat lines of all 0’s but he impacts the game in other ways and the fact that he is even playing 20-30 minutes per game shows how valuable he actually is.
He didn’t get that many minutes in the 2021-2022 season, but two seasons ago Snell shot over 56% from 3-point range (on limited attempts obviously but still impressive) and was 100% from the free-throw line. He also put up over 5 points and 2 rebounds per game in just over 21 minutes per contest. Snell is exactly the type of guy that could be a good role player who can hit 3’s and defend multiple positions for the Lakers.
Wesley Matthews, SG/SF, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
The Wesley Matthews experiment did not work for the Lakers in the 2020-2021 NBA season as he was only 33.5% from 3PT range and was seen as a liability on defense. He was unplayable once the Lakers got into the play-in tournament and playoffs, but this season for the Bucks he was back up to 39.5% from 3PT range and was much better defensively.
Why not use one of the final roster spots on a high-risk high-reward player like Matthews that could turn into a starter in the playoffs if next season is a replica of 2019-2020 or 2021-2022. Let the reunion rumors begin even though Lakers fans don’t want to hear it.
Serge Ibaka, PF/C, Expected Salary: Veterans Minimum
Ibaka may demand more than the veterans minimum, but he will likely fail in that respect. He simply isn’t the same player that he was even just two seasons ago and his production is declining every year.
After being an integral part of the Raptors championship core in the 2019-2020 season, Ibaka got worse and worse over the past two seasons with the Clippers and Bucks. Ibaka was injury-prone, playing just 54 games, and only averaged 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 16.3 minutes per game this season.
He isn’t the same shot-blocker that he once was, but he should fit perfectly alongside Anthony Davis as a rotational defensive big that can guard the interior. If the Lakers miss out on Whiteside, Drummond, and Dedmon, then Ibaka is the last resort option for the Lakers that can still be an interior presence.
In conclusion, I think the Lakers do get Whiteside if they make an effort for him and promise that he will play over 20 minutes per game. Whiteside would flourish alongside Anthony Davis and is still one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA.
For the second veteran minimum signing of this part of free agency I think the Lakers should go with Danuel House since he can give them valuable minutes, hit 3’s with at least some consistency, and can defend multiple positions. Next, I think the Lakers should and will bring up Mac McClung full-time to the NBA roster.
He is a supremely athletic guard that can play good defense and can get to the hoop with ease. Next, the Lakers go with Dwight Howard to fill out the 3rd and final center spot on the roster for next season behind Anthony Davis and Hassan Whiteside. If they need Wenyen Gabriel or Stanley Johnson to play the small-ball 5 that is also a possibility and size won’t be the Lakers’ problem anymore.
Finally, I think the Lakers go with Wayne Ellington to have at least one other 3PT specialist alongside Buddy Hield. Ellington may be seen as a liability defensively, but he can be relied upon to hit 3’s consistently and when the offense isn’t rolling, slot in Ellington and he will get you some needed 3-point makes. This may not be an ideal roster for the 2022-2023 NBA season, but it is the most “championship ready” with the subtractions of Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker and the additions of Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Hassan Whiteside, Danuel House, and Wayne Ellington.
Lakers final roster entering the 2022-2023 season
PG/SF/PF: LeBron James, Salary: $44,474,988
PF/C: Anthony Davis, Salary: $37,980,720
PG/SG: Malcolm Brogdon, Salary: $22,600,000
SG: Buddy Hield, Salary: $20,522,726
SF/PF: Thaddeus Young, Salary: $6,339,000 (through MLE)
PG/SG: Kendrick Nunn, Salary: $5,250,000
C: Hassan Whiteside, Salary: $2,600,000
C: Dwight Howard, Salary: $2,600,000
SF/PF: Stanley Johnson, Salary: $2,351,521
SG: Wayne Ellington, Salary: $1,800,000
SF: Danuel House, Salary: $1,800,000
SF/PF: Wenyen Gabriel, Salary: $1,878,720
PG/SG: Austin Reaves, Salary: $1,563,518
PG/SG: Mac McClung, Salary: $1,563,518