NBA free agency is set to kick off on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT, and one of the more active teams should be the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though the Lakers’ roster is essentially full, they clearly have moves to make to improve enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference. LeBron James is willing to help the franchise out by taking less money on his new deal to add an impact player, and now it’s on Rob Pelinka and the front office to get that done.
In addition to making a bigger move, the Lakers also have some of their own free agents they’d like to re-sign. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, L.A. is interested in bringing back Taurean Prince:
While we’re on the topic of Lakers players, the team is interested in re-signing forward Taurean Prince, league sources told HoopsHype.
Prince shot 39.6 percent from 3-point range for the Lakers and started 49 of 78 games last season.
Should Prince return to the Lakers, rival NBA executives project Prince to potentially command a deal somewhere in the range of two years and $11 million, which could be done by using his non-bird rights where the Lakers can offer a contract beginning at 120 percent of his salary from the previous season.
Prince is coming off a solid season for the Lakers, showing he can be a nice piece off the bench, especially if it is at that price. He told Lakers Nation earlier this offseason that he would like to come back, so if L.A. is able to open up some roster spots then a reunion with Prince seems likely.
In addition to Prince, the Lakers also have interest in bringing back Spencer Dinwiddie:
Now, the Lakers and Mavericks are once again expected to have interest in Dinwiddie again as he enters free agency, league sources told HoopsHype.
Dinwiddie was asked to take on a different role with the Lakers after coming over as a buyout signing after the trade deadline. While he played that role well and expressed a desire to return to his hometown Lakers, he may get other opportunity in places like Dallas where he can get more minutes on the ball as he’s used to.
Lakers planning to bring Max Christie back
Likely a bigger priority for the Lakers than Prince and Dinwiddie is Max Christie, who was tendered a qualifying offer and is a restricted free agent.
The Lakers are reportedly planning to re-sign Christie as a member of their rotation, leaving fewer minutes available for guys like Prince and Dinwiddie depending on how the roster shakes out.
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