NBA free agency is moving in a hurry, just a day into the proceedings.
Three of All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers combo forward LeBron James’ shortlisted preferences to be inked to a full non-taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason are (reportedly) already off the board. Four-time Golden State Warriors champion Klay Thompson is reportedly working on a multi-team sign-and-trade deal to be shipped off to the Dallas Mavericks that will pay him $50 million over three years, 2018 MVP James Harden has agreed to a two-season, $70 million contract to stay with his hometown L.A. Clippers, and jump-shooting veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas is ditching the New Orleans Pelicans to waste his time with the lottery-bound Washington Wizards for three years and $30 million.
Free agent Chicago Bulls small forward DeMar DeRozan, also considered one of James’ preferred veteran targets, remains available. He is a strange fit in new head coach JJ Redick’s supposedly three point-heavy intended new system. DeRozan is a career 29.6 percent long range shooter on just 1.6 triple tries a night, though he’s shot 32.4 percent or better during his three Bulls seasons, including a career-high 35.2 percent on 1.9 triple tries a night during his All-NBA Second Team season with Chicago in 2021-22. De’Anthony Melton, a 3-and-D combo guard, just reportedly agreed to sign with the Golden State Warriors on a one-season, $12.8 million mid-level exception deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. He would have been a terrific fit, but it’s unclear if he was on James’ list of preferred vets.
So who else is left among current free agents whom L.A. team president Rob Pelinka should target (there are also plenty of intriguing potential trade fits)? And what will they cost?
Yes, Charlotte Hornets combo forward Miles Bridges is out there and would be on-paper a good fit, but his off-court behavior makes him a permanent scratch-off to this writer.
Hield barely suited up for his first-ever posteason this past spring, but when he does get run he is one of the league’s elite sharpshooters. Is he worth a full non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception at this juncture? Probably not, after his disappointing tenure with the Sixers. But that’s good news for LeBron James, as he could sign the three-year, $162 million maximum deal he wants and the Lakers could bring in a 40 percent career three point shooter on 7.6 triple tries a night, who’s still just 31, for the $5.2 million taxpayer’s mid-level exception.
In Philadelphia last season, Hield averaged 12.2 points on a .426/.389/.923 slash line, 3.2 rebounds, three assists and 0.8 steals during the regular season. The 6-foot-4 Oklahoma product averaged just 12.8 minutes a night for Nick Nurse, appearing in just four of six playoff games during the team’s first round defeat to the New York Knicks.
The 6-foot-9 UCLA product, 30, has a strange pace at which he plays, which frequently throws off opposing defenders, and has evolved into being a solid defender himself. He was relegated to a full-time bench role with Minnesota during its 56-26 run in 2023-24, averaging 6.4 points while shooting .460/.229/.708, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks across 79 contests last year. But he’s actually a competent, if low-volume, three point shooter, with a career 33.8 percent mark on 1.2 triple tries a night. Again, he could probably be signed using the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, not the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, so he could help James save significant coin.
Perhaps DeRozan would be amenable to inking a full non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception (worth about $12.8 million) to sign with his hometown team, with whom he had free agent talks in the summer of 2021. Or maybe he’d be able to be signed to something closer to his probable worth, more along the lines of $20-25 million, and could be flipped to the club in a sign-and-trade for some future draft equity. But his lackluster defense as a wing and his inconsistent and low-volume three point shooting make him a less-than-optimal fit, though he’s still an elite mid-range scorer and excellent at driving to the cup, while also being a terrific playmaker and rebounder for his position and size.
Trent, like Hield, would address the big Redick focus of the offseason: shooting. The 6-foot-5 vet averaged 13.7 points on .426/.393/.771 shooting splits, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals off the bench for the Raptors last season. Still just 25, the former Duke Blue Devil is a career 38.6 percent three point shooter on 6.4 long range attempts a night. Given his pedigree, the market may be a bit robust for his services, and he could cost Los Angeles the full non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. He’s a lackluster defender, and L.A. desperately needs help in that department along the wing, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent (the team’s two best perimeter defenders) having barely played last year.
Jones would represent a massive upgrade over even starting point guard D’Angelo Russell. He’s an incredibly efficient shooter who thrives as more of a supplemental ballhandler. Across 68 contests for the Wizards in 2023-24, the 6-foot-1 former Dukie, 28, averaged a career-best 12 points on .489/.414/.800 shooting splits, with that three point rate arriving on 3.9 triple tries. He also notched a career-best 7.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals a game. Jones, a competent defender if a bit undersized, also has some of the best ball control in the NBA, and only averaged a single turnover as the Wizards’ full-time starting point guard last season. Because he has long been a slept-on asset, he might also be able to signed to the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, meaning LeBron James could earn his full max salary.
More Lakers: Free Agent Klay Thompson Shunning Los Angeles, Reportedly Signing with West Nemesis
