James Ennis III

Teams are always looking for wings who can not only defend, but can spread the floor and knock down jumpers, which is why it is surprising to see James Ennis III still available as an unrestricted free agent. Ennis spent last season in Orlando and was a part of the circus there with players being in and out of the rotations, but he played fairly well, averaging 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and shooting 43.3% from deep in 41 games. 

He is not a guy that is going to vastly change the outcome of a team’s future and he is nothing more than a rotational guy off-the-bench, but having depth on the wing is extremely important, which is why James Ennis III is likely going to be agreeing to terms on a one-year deal fairly soon. 

Where will he go you may ask? Well, the one team that keeps coming up in regards to Ennis everywhere you look is the Los Angeles Lakers, who still have 3 roster spots open. Los Angeles has been busy this offseason, bringing in notable names like Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Nunn and others, but they could absolutely use some more depth on the wing behind LeBron James. 

Back on August 11, NBA reporter Marc Stein named the Lakers as a team pursuing James Ennis III and he mentioned that Los Angeles, “prefers adding another wing over adding another guard.” This would definitely make sense for the Lakers, especially since LeBron is basically their starting point guard and they now have Russell Westbrook in their backcourt as well. 

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Ennis can shoot, he can defend and most importantly, he can play valuable minutes for a team that is ready to win now, which is why the Los Angeles Lakers seem like a really strong landing spot for the veteran forward. Other teams like the Bulls, Heat, Suns and Jazz may also show some interest in him, but there seems to be mutual interest between Ennis and the Lakers right now.