During their efforts to fill out the rest of the roster, the Los Angeles Lakers made it clear that they had no problem bringing in familiar faces to help them do it.
The Purple and Gold kicked things off by bringing back former members of the organization such as Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Dwight Howard. They kept the movement going with the return of Kent Bazemore and continued to express interest in others such as Danny Green.
Green and another former Laker in Lou Williams have since re-signed with their respective teams from last season. It appears even the latter was on the team’s radar.
Prior to signing a one-year extension with the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers were among the notable contenders interested in Williams’ services, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
Williams had significant interest from several contenders, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told HoopsHype.
Williams garnering interest from championship-caliber teams hardly comes as any surprise. After all, he is a proven veteran capable of providing a spark when needed.
The 34-year-old was a steady presence for this talented, young Hawks team after averaging 10 points per game and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range following his trade from the L.A. Clippers. He even stepped up as a starter for Trae Young during Games 4 and 5 in the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 19 points on 62.5 percent shooting and 6.5 assists.
The three-time Sixth Man of the Year would have been in a position to provide plenty of bang for his buck on any of the rumored teams that were mentioned. This is especially true for the Lakers considering they have prioritized filling out the remaining spots with players that can assist in the shooting department and scoring off the bench.
Williams’ decision to stay in Atlanta is likely indicative of his confidence that this team can potentially take that next step into laying claim to the East. Of course, this could prove to be a major challenge with the Milwaukee Bucks coming off a title run and the Brooklyn Nets continuing to make moves.
Andre Iguodala chooses Warriors over Nets & Lakers
Despite missing out on both Green and Williams, there are still some quality options left on the market that can provide some depth on the wing. One that was among them was Andre Iguodala, who reportedly narrowed his free agency decision to the Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors.
To no surprise though, he ultimately opted to return to the Warriors, leaving the Lakers to search elsewhere for defensive help on the wing.
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