The Lakers started filling out their roster Monday by reuniting with four of their former players.
Indeed, four.
Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore agreed to one-year contracts on the first day of free agency, giving the Lakers a slew of 30-somethings with differing skill sets. All four agreed to accept veteran’s minimum contacts for roughly $2.6 million each next season.
The Lakers have at least five more spots to fill on their roster before the season starts in October. They still have their “taxpayer mid-level exception” worth $5.9 million next season, the main spending tool for the salary cap-strapped franchise.
The Lakers’ big splash came last week when Russell Westbrook was acquired on draft day for Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a first-round draft pick. The trade left the Lakers with precious little money to spend on free agents.
In fact, on Monday they lost fan favorite Alex Caruso, a defensive-minded guard with a habit of head-turning dunks. Caruso, 27, will join the Chicago Bulls on a four-year contract worth $37 million, according to reports.
It remains to be seen if restricted free agent Talen Horton-Tucker will be on the Lakers’ roster next season. He had not come to terms with any teams as of Monday night. If he signs an offer sheet with someone else, the Lakers have the right to match it and retain his services.
The Lakers tried to shore up two weaknesses with Monday’s acquisitions — lack of perimeter shooting and almost no depth at the center position.
Two of the newest Lakers have noteworthy shooting skills and can help the team rebound from a season in which they finished a subpar 21st in the NBA in three-point accuracy.
Ellington, 33, made an impressive 42.2% of his three-point shots last season for Detroit while averaging 9.6 points. He played for the Lakers during the 2014-15 season.
Bazemore, 32, averaged 7.2 points last season for Golden State while shooting 40.8% from three-point range. He briefly played for the Lakers toward the end of the 2013-14 season and bounced around the league recently, playing for four different teams in the last two years.
Ariza, 36, helped the Lakers win a championship in 2009 before embarking on a journey to seven other teams as a defensive specialist who also made three-pointers, though not as consistently as Ellington and Bazemore. Ariza averaged 9.4 points last season for Miami while playing a notable 28 minutes per game.
Howard, 35, provides depth at center for a team that had only Marc Gasol under contract at the position. He joins the Lakers for a third tour with the franchise he initially played for in 2012. Howard helped the Lakers win a championship in 2020 after a one-year reunion, but left to play with Philadelphia last season before returning to the Lakers on Monday. He averaged seven points and 8.4 rebounds for the 76ers and started only six games.
The new Lakers’ contracts cannot be formally announced until Friday, as per NBA rules. At that point, Lakers officials are allowed to comment on any transactions they make.