NBA rumors: Lakers could steal key role player from champion Nuggets

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly showing ‘significant interest’ in free agent wing Bruce Brown fresh off winning a title with Denver. 

The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers from the NBA Playoffs in convincing fashion. So perhaps Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office wants to stick it to the eventual champions this offseason.

According to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, they may very well do that.

Singer reported on Wednesday that free agent Bruce Brown, who played a pivotal role for the Nuggets as a role player, has drawn “significant interest” from the Lakers already this offseason, noting that LA can offer about $4.5 million more per year on a contract than Denver could in re-signing Brown.

In order for the Lakers to make that type of contract happen, they would need to waive Mo Bamba, not re-sign D’Angelo Russell, and decline Malik Beasley’s team option, which would then allow them to sign Brown to the $12.3/$12.4 million mid-level exception.

More importantly, the Lakers would still be able to re-sign restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura if they inked Brown to such a deal.

NBA Rumors: Lakers showing big interest in Bruce Brown

Signing Brown would help the Lakers in some ways, adding a solid and versatile wing defender and stealing a player from a Nuggets teaem that swept them in the Western Conference Finals.

Unfortunately, the problem with using the mid-level exception to sign Brown would be that it fails to solve the team’s biggest weakness, a need for a starting-level point guard. Signing Brown would almost surely take them out of that market.

Still, at the end of the day, signing Brown would allow the Lakers to roll out a starting lineup of Brown, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rui Hachimura, a five-man unit that would be one of the best in the NBA. Throw in a good bench of Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie and first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino, along with any veterans willing to take a discount, and the Lakers would be in good shape.

There is still the question of the point guard spot, and expecting Hood-Schifino to play that role as a rookie, especially in the playoffs, would be unreasonable. Overall, though, signing Bruce Brown would be a great move for the franchise looking to contend.