4 players the Lakers can sign not named Draymond Green or Austin Reaves
By Ian Levy
Sleeper free-agent targets for the Lakers: 2. Donte DiVincenzo
Moving to a slightly more expensive tier of free agent, Donte DiVincenzo could still give the Lakers a cheaper point guard alternative to D’Angelo Russell who provides a much better fit. Where Russell will likely be looking for a contract in excess of $20 million per season, DiVincenzo could theoretically be signed for the full MLE, about $12 million per season. He’s coming off a two-year, $9 million deal with the Warriors, exercising his player option to get off early, but he’s definitely earned a healthy raise.
DiVincenzo came off the bench last season but averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in just over 26 minutes per game. On most teams, he probably wouldn’t be a viable starting point guard and is better suited to a role as a complementary offensive playmaker. But with LeBron, Reaves and Anthony Davis, that won’t be a problem for the Lakers.
At 6-foot-4, DiVincenzo has the size to defend both backcourt positions and FiveThirtyEight’s RPM rated him as one of the best backcourt defenders in the league last season. He’s also become an extremely reliable catch-and-shoot threat, knocking down 39.7 percent of his 3s last season. Like Smith Jr., he lacks Russell’s explosive offensive upside but with his well-rounded, 3-and-D-plus skill set and experience as a complementary threat around stars with serious gravity he could be a huge asset for the Lakers.