The Los Angeles Lakers kept two of their best guards and one of their best forwards in the first two days of free agency.
Forward Rui Hachimura, who was acquired by the Lakers from the Washington Wizards before the NBA trade deadline back in February, signed a three-year, $51 million dollar extension to remain with the club on Friday.
On Saturday, it was guards Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell who returned to the team to help them run it back from their Western Conference Finals loss at the hands of the eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.
Reaves agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth up to $56 million dollars, and Russell returned on a two-year, $47 million dollar deal. Reaves and Russell were both integral parts of the Lakers postseason success.
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The Lakers were one of the more active teams once NBA free agency began on Friday. Rob Pelinka kept most of the Lakers core intact, while improving on the margins with depth, defense and value.
By the time the dust had settled on Friday, the Lakers had signed forwards Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, guard Gabe Vincent, and center Jackson Hayes. They also picked up the option on forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Those moves did come at a price however, the Lakers lost point guard Dennis Schröder, who signed a new two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors. Schröder's postseason resurgence helped fuel the Lakers surprise run to the Western Conference Finals as a play-in tournament team.
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Prince previously played with the Minnesota Timberwolves and can shoot the ball from deep. He is also an above-average defender.
The undrafted Vincent was a hot commodity after flashing signs of excellence during the Miami Heat's improbable run to the NBA Finals. Vincent is a terrific defender that can help contain opposing team's point guards on the perimeter..
Reddish has been a target for the Lakers for quite some time and is seen as a player who could provide some run off the bench. Hayes, formerly of the New Orleans Pelicans, provides the Lakers with a much-needed athletic backup center and rim protector.
The Lakers hope the new additions will be enough to get them over the top in the Western Conference, and back to the NBA Finals where they will look to hoist their 18th championship next season.
