The NBA calendar never stops as free agency is gearing up to begin on June 30 and rumors already flying about what teams around the league might do. Rob Pelinka, Darvin Ham and the Los Angeles Lakers have already been the subject of rumors regarding potential free agent targets.
But before Pelinka and the Lakers are allowed to say any names, they can only publicly talk about the type of players they’d like to pursue. With relatively limited assets at their disposal after bringing their own free agents back, the Lakers have to be very specific with their archetypes.
Pelinka finds it important to bring in players that are a culture fit alongside their head coach in Ham. He spoke in depth about what player archetype that falls under.
“We’re going to try our best to match players with players that Coach wants to coach and that work in his system,” Pelinka said. “I think that’s guys that play tough-minded basketball, that play defense and play the game the right way. That’s guys that hopefully hold themselves accountable, fit within a team structure, don’t put themselves first and put other guys first. That’s got to be our identity, and it will be our identity. I think that’s when rosters really work id when they reflect the personality of the head coach. Those are the archetypes and the things that we’re looking for.”
On a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, players knowing their role and being willing to do the little things is a vital aspect. It’s what has made players like Austin Reaves, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Jarred Vanderbilt so successful next to the star duo.
The Lakers could potentially have access to their full mid-level exception, meaning an elite role player is within the realm of possibility.
If the Lakers can build out a roster of these types of players, they should be able to have another successful season that hopefully ends in an even deeper run than the Western Conference Finals in 2023.
Lakers have significant interest in Bruce Brown
Perhaps the model of Pelinka’s stated archetype in this free agent class is NBA champion Bruce Brown. Coming off of a remarkable season with the Denver Nuggets, Brown is one of the most highly-coveted role players on the market.
The Lakers have significant interest in the Nuggets guard, but would likely need to use the entire $12.4 million mid-level exception to have a chance at landing him.
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