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patrickzyd
Jul 7, 20234 min read

Lakers Officially Sign 7 Players

It's official! Lakers are having a nice off-season so far signing 4 new needed players (Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish) and bringing back 3 players (Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell) on their squad from last season. Huge props to Rob Pelinka for signing 7 solid players on a limited budget. They still are likely to sign one more player before heading into the season with 14 roster spots. So who are the 4 new signings?


First, Gabe Vincent. Vincent went undrafted in 2018 from UC Santa Barbara but since then has proven many wrong. Vincent, a 6'3" Guard, joins the Lakers after spending the last four seasons with the Miami Heat. For the 2022-23 season, Vincent played in 68 games (34 starts) and averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was especially nice in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the 27-year-old saw action in 22 games (all starts), posting averages of 12.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 30.5 minutes, while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range and helping lead the Heat to the NBA Finals. Pretty impressive. Overall, Vincent appeared in 195 regular season contests (68 starts) with the Heat, averaging 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. He has seen action in 44 career playoff games (30 starts), averaging 9.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. In the 2019-20 season, he was named the NBA G League Most Improved Player. A very nice backup Point Guard signing for the Lakers.


Next, Taurean Prince. Prince was a 12th overall pick in the 2016 Draft. He plays Small Forward and played for the Hawks, Nets, Cavs, and the Timberwolves. Prince, 6’6”, appeared in 54 games (four starts) and averaged 9.1 points (.467 F%, .381 3P%). 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.1 minutes per game last season with the Timberwolves. In 8 NBA seasons, Prince has suited up in 424 games (222 starts) and averaged 10.4 points (.421 FG%, .372 3P%), 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 23.9 minutes per contest. The 29-year-old has appeared in the NBA Playoffs for Minnesota (2021-23) and Atlanta (2016-17), averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 16 games (seven starts). Pretty nice shooter for a Small Forward and a good 3 and D player. He will be a great addition to the bench.


Next, Cam Reddish. Reddish was the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Many consider him a bust as he hasn't put up more than expected but he's still pretty young at 23 years old. Last season with the Knicks/Blazers, Reddish 6'8" Guard/Forward, appeared in 40 games (20 starts), where he averaged 9.7 points (.446 F%, .853 FT%), 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.8 minutes per game. Reddish has recorded 20 games with 20 or more points throughout his career, including two performances with 30+ points, and is coming off a season in which he shot a career-high 44.6 percent from the field. He has appeared in 173 career games (82 starts) across four NBA seasons with Portland (2022-23), New York (2021-23) and Atlanta (2019-22), averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.9 minutes per game. Reddish has played in four career postseason contests with Atlanta, posting averages of 12.8 points (.528 F%, .643 3FG%, 800 FT%), 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 23.0 minutes in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Pretty nice. He's got a lot of potential still and can be a nice bench player for the Lakers.


Finally, Jaxson Hayes. A Center that the Lakers desperately need as they only have Anthony Davis. Hayes was drafted 8th overall in the 2019 draft. He's only played for the Pelicans before the Lakers. Hayes, 7'0", spent the last four seasons (2019-23) with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 23-year-old appeared in 47 games (two starts) in 2022-23 and registered averages of 5.0 points (.551 FG%) and 2.8 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. Not so impressive but he hardly got playing time and didn't play the whole season. In 241 career NBA games (47 starts), Hayes has averaged 7.5 points (.622 FG%) and 4.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest. Hayes had seven games with at least 20 points in his career and has shot over 60.0 percent from the field in three of his four NBA seasons. He played in six postseason games (all starts) following the 2021-22 season, averaging 5.8 points (.560 F%) and 2.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. So he's not the best Center, but Anthony Davis will be playing most of the game anyway, they just need a Dwight Howard potential player to backup the Davis.


Overall, this has been a great Free Agency for the Lakers so far and some may consider they are the winners for signing free agents. They brought back 3 key players and signed 4 solid guys who can play a big role for the Lakers all under a low budget. I am giving this an "A" free agency for the Lakers.



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