NBA free agency: The 3 biggest winners in this offseason so far

The 3 biggest winners of Free Agency so far; 1. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had one of the strangest seasons in NBA history. Starting off the season 2-10, the Purple and Gold were the 13 seed at the trade deadline. Then they went 18-9 in their last 27 games, finished the season 43-39, and made the Western Conference Finals as the 7th seed.

The biggest reason for their mid-season turnaround is because they built a roster around Anthony Davis and LeBron James that fit well, which is exactly what they did this offseason.

They re-signed three key players, all at reasonable prices. The first was Rui Hachimura on a 3-year, $51 million contract. Hachimura played extremely well this postseason and gave the Lakers great size, defense, and shooting.

They also re-signed D’Angelo Russell to a 2 year, $37 million contract (with a second-year player option), which is a great price for him as he’s another good scoring option. Most importantly they re-signed Austin Reaves on a shockingly cheap contract for 4 years, $56 million. When Reaves was inserted into the starting lineup he broke out onto the scene and most fully expect him to maintain that level of play for this upcoming season.

Then the Lakers had three great little signings for them. The first was picking up Taurean Prince. He is going into this season at age 29 and will provide the Lakers with defense and 3-point shooting on the wing, something they lacked in the postseason. He is the perfect role player to have alongside LeBron.

Another huge signing for the Lakers was getting Gabe Vincent on a 3-year, $33 million contract. Vincent will be another good 3-point shooter and defender on the perimeter. After losing Dennis Schroder, Vincent is the perfect replacement for him and at times can replace D’lo when he becomes a liability on defense.

The last signing for the Lakers was getting Jaxson Hayes on a 2 year, $4.6 million contract. One thing the Lakers have lacked since their 2020 Bubble run is size. The only legit big they’ve had was Anthony Davis but Hayes should fix that. He’s a solid rim protector and rebounder, not to mention a high flier as well. He won’t be asked to do much behind Davis but in the time that he does play, he will make small impacts that will change the game.

The Lakers have had the best offseason by far. They kept important role players on their roster while adding some solid ones. The only thing that can hurt them is the health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Assuming everyone is right, the Lakers are one of the top 3 teams in the West.