4 emergency free agents to pull Lakers out of purgatory before it's too late

The Los Angeles Lakers' offseason has been comically unproductive. After chasing their own tail for a few months before finally signing J.J. Redick to replace Darvin Ham as head coach, Los Angeles' front office essentially punted on the remainder of the offseason. LeBron James inked a contract extension, but that was a foregone conclusion for months. He even offered a discount if the Lakers could pull off a meaningful addition, but L.A. couldn't, so LeBron took what is essentially the full max.

Tough beat.

Sure, LeBron and Anthony Davis are good enough to support a winner, but it's clear this Lakers team is not on par with the Western Conference elite. Dalton Knecht is fun, but the Lakers cannot expect a mid-round draft pick to meaningfully boost their playoff odds. The Lakers quite literally have not signed a major free agent or worked out a trade. It has been nothing but inaction from Rob Pelinka, whose true accomplishments as Lakers GM are few and far between.

There is still time for the Lakers to get something done. Precious few days are left before training camp and eventually the regular season, but there are free agents left unsigned and the Lakers, as always, need a few upgrades.

Here are a few free agents worth targeting for Pelinka and the powers that be in Hollywood.

4. Dennis Smith Jr.

Why on earth is Dennis Smith Jr. not on a roster? The 26-year-old never quite lived up to his billing as a top-10 pick, but his mid-career reinvention has been wholly impressive. Known out of college for his explosive rim attacks and streaky shooting, Smith has become a proper defensive specialist on the perimeter. He's sticky at the point of attack, pressuring ball-handlers to no end and forcing turnovers with his activity.

The Lakers need more on-ball defensive pressure in the backcourt. D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves both profile comfortably below average on the defensive end, a problem LA's prospects won't be solving any time soon — with all due respect to Bronny James. Los Angeles has one of the best rim protection apparatuses in the NBA with AD, but even the best shot-blockers are at a disadvantage when the perimeter defenders can't contain dribble penetration.

Smith's 3-point shot wasn't where it needed to be last season (29.4 percent), but he's still a productive drive-and-kick threat with the athleticism to finish acrobatically in the paint. Smith averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 assists in 18.9 minutes for the Nets last season; that's nothing to write home about, but when combined with his defense, it should be enough to pique the Lakers' interest. There's a path to minutes for Smith in LA.

3. Robert Covington

Robert Covington spent the majority of last season sidelined with an injury, which appears to be impacting his stock in league circles. At a certain point, the market wanes for 33-year-olds with an injury history, and Covington is not without his warts as a player. Still, it's a bit shocking to hear crickets when surverying the market for the former All-Defense forward.

Despite his age and his shortcomings, Covington can still influence a game with his defense. The Lakers lost Taurean Prince this summer, and while that's hardly a catastrophic loss on the surface, he was a rotation regular last season. Naturally, Los Angeles hasn't put in the effort to find a replacement, so there's an immediate lane for Covington.

Last season, before the injury, was Covington's worst shooting season to date, but he's a career 36.2 percent marksman from 3-point range and I'd bet on improved numbers once he's back healthy and in a rhyhtm. Covington doesn't just shoot 3s — he shoots deep 3s, which stretches the defense out and creates driving lanes for his playmakers.

Covington is rather execlusively a 3-and-D wing, as in he won't dribble, pass, or score much inside the arc, but there's still plenty of value in an elite defensive playmaker on the fringe of your rotation. He is also a former J.J. Redick teammate from their shared time in Philadelphia, which could help the acclimation process.

2. Landry Shamet

Landry Shamet has a special connection to J.J. Redick. The best season of his career happened to be his rookie season with the 76ers, when he served as Redick's understudy. A movement shooter in the same vein as Redick, Shamet built up quick two-man chemistry with with Joel Embiid and flourished — for half a season, until he was dealt to the Clippers for Tobias Harris at the trade deadline. The rest is history.

That history has not treated Shamet too kindly. After a promising rookie campaign, he bounced around between different contenders, seemingly unable to find the same level of success. Now, at just 27, he's on the NBA bubble, at risk of falling out of the league entirely.

The Lakers should place a call. We know Redick wants to shoot more 3s and we know Redick can bring the best out of Shamet as a leader. It's not unreasonable to think that Redick may be particularly inclined to get the most out of a player with Shamet's skill set. He can work DHOs with Davis, run off of screens on the perimeter, and find ways to fold into Los Angeles' second unit offense.

He's not a great defender or a terribly prolific on-ball threat, but Shamet's shooting can bend a defense and the Lakers, for all the reasons stated above, just make the most sense as a place to revive Shamet's career.

1. Markelle Fultz

It's a bit silly for Markelle Fultz to be unsigned this late in the offseason. The fit concerns are understandable — non-shooting point guards are a complicated mold in today's NBA — but the dude is a former No. 1 pick and he has been productive since arriving in Orlando back in 2019. Fultz was, on balance, the Magic's starting point guard. Injuries have disrupted his last few seasons, but when he's in the game, Fultz can still impact winning.

Not to overdo it with the whole "former J.J. Redick teammate" concept, but it's generally useful when a coach has a deep understanding of or familiarity with his players. Redick was there at Fultz's lowest and was the first to rave about the Washington product's skill level and work ethic. Now that Fultz is confident enough to run an offense in the NBA, it's only fitting that Redick gets a chance to author his career comeback.

Fultz is too talented not to carve out a role somewhere. The Lakers aren't in dire need of a point guard, but D'Angelo Russell is a common feature in trade rumors for a reason. Redick has talked about limiting LeBron's on-ball duties in the regular season, so there's a chance for Fultz to take purchase in the Lakers' rotation as a backup point guard.

The limited off-ball value is a fair criticism, but Fultz's size, playmaking I.Q., and ball-handling creativity are hard to come by. He's an uber-skilled finisher around the basket and a gifted advantage creator, shifting gears and changing speeds at will. He dexterity, court vision, and athleticism warrant investment from the Lakers, or really anyone else looking to fill out their 15th roster spot.