By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be big-time winners in the ongoing NBA Free Agency fever after landing Minnesota’s solid two-way player Taurean Prince and Miami Heat’s unsung playoff hero Gabe Vincent last July 1, 2023.
In a bid for another championship run around the core duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers just acquired more pieces to add more depth to their roster for the upcoming NBA season.
Los Angeles lured Prince on a one-year, $4.5 million-dollar contract after the Timberwolves waived him several days ago.
Prince’s arrival with the Lakers will also mark a reunion with his former teammate Jarred Vanderbilt and are expected to function as a deadly tandem in the defensive wings.
Aside from his defensive prowess, Prince is also a decent shooter from the three-point range, a huge thing that can be brought to the Lakers’ offensive system.
Next up for the Lakers’ huge off-season signing is Vincent, one of the biggest contributors during the Heat’s stellar NBA championship appearance as an eighth-seed.
The undrafted star point guard increased his value after becoming a consistent offensive threat for head coach Erik Spoelstra and agreed to a three-year $33-million-dollar contract.
Despite being a liability on the defensive end when facing bigger guards who can post up, Vincent still showed flashes of brilliance in his swipe game and is an efficient face-up defensive player.
The free agency for the Lakers is going into their desired path so far after re-signing some of their top guns to multi-year contracts.
Rui Hachimura, a part of their post-All-Star break acquisition from the Washington Wizards, just signed a three-year $51-million-dollar deal.
The Japanese power forward brought instant impact to the Lakers and already proved that he can score the leather and spread the floor with his stellar outside shooting.
Meanwhile, Austin Reaves also agreed to stay in Los Angeles on a four-year $56-million-dollar contract while star point guard D’ Angelo Russell on a two-year $37-million-dollar contract.
Can the Lakers go back to the NBA finals with their latest acquisitions?
