2020 NBA Free Agency
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the busiest teams this offseason in terms of contract agreements and solidifying their roster for a championship defense season. Their first big move came when they lured Montrezl Harrell away from the Clippers and switched his locker room in the Staples Center. Not only was this one of the more surprising, Day 1 of free agency stories, but just adds fuel to the fire of the Lakers-Clippers rivalry.
Harrell is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and after a disappointing season with the Clippers, a season in which they saw an early exit in the Western Conference Semifinals after being up 3-1 on the Nuggets, he decided to go to a team that has the ability to win a championship. If you want to win a championship, why not join the defending champs?
The Lakers also signed veterans Wesley Matthews and Marc Gasol, as well as re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Markieff Morris and Jared Dudley. Caldwell-Pope and Morris were two key players down the stretch for the Lakers in their championship run in the Orlando bubble, but Matthews and Gasol are two new faces to this locker room that make a championship team even better.
Gasol contemplated going back to Spain, his native country, and playing over there, but after mulling several offers, he decided to stay in the NBA and agreed to a two-year deal with the Lakers, the team that had originally drafted him in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft. Gasol is now 35-years old and while he is not the dominant big man he once was, he is still a pretty decent defender and a great shooter. The last two seasons with the Raptors, Gasol has shot 40.0% from three-point range and will be used in a lot of “pick-and-pop” sets for the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis.
Wesley Matthews joins the Lakers after playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks last season and is another sharpshooter Los Angeles added for wing depth this offseason. In 13-years at the NBA level, Matthews has shot 38.1% from three-point range and at this point in his career, is nothing more than a 3-and-D type of player who is known for his catch-and-shoot abilities.
After signing all of their role players and giving their two superstars max-extensions, the Lakers have a roster that is even better than the roster that won a championship last year. This year’s team is going to be extremely dangerous, which is why they have the makings of winning back-to-back titles this upcoming season.
