The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason has been relatively quiet, especially after losing out on rumored target Gary Trent Jr., who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Currently, the Lakers have a full roster with 15 guaranteed contracts. To make any new signings, they will need to create space.
Despite their limited budget, the Lakers can still sign players to veteran minimum contracts if they open up a roster spot. Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report discussed potential options for the Lakers in the free agent and trade market, highlighting Evan Fournier as a viable target.
“Fournier, a 31-year-old shooting guard with 11 years of experience, hasn’t seen extensive action since the 2021-22 season. That year, he averaged 14.1 points on 41.7 percent shooting (38.9 percent from three) in 80 starts for the New York Knicks. After falling out of the Knicks’ rotation, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons last February.
Fournier got more playing time with the last-place Pistons but struggled, averaging just 7.2 points on 37.3 percent shooting in 18.7 minutes per game off the bench. It’s not surprising he hasn’t found a new team yet. However, he will be representing France in the Summer Olympics, which could reignite interest in him if he performs well, given France’s status as a top contender outside the United States,” Kasabian wrote on July 16.
Lakers’ Options for Roster Flexibility
The Lakers have limited options as their roster currently stands. However, Jovan Buha of The Athletic noted that if they trade away more players than they receive or offload a player, they could sign a player using the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception.
“They can either send out more players than they receive in a deal or salary-dump Reddish, Wood, and/or Hayes, along with a second-round pick or two, onto a team with roster and financial flexibility. If the Lakers traded two minimum players (Wood, Hayes, and Reddish would qualify), they’d have enough room under the second apron to sign a player to the $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception.
They could also add a player in a trade or sign player(s) to minimum contracts,” Buha wrote on July 16.
If they manage to offload just one player, the Lakers could still sign Fournier on a veteran minimum contract.
#### How Fournier Could Benefit the Lakers
Should the Lakers choose to move only one player to make room for a veteran minimum contract, Fournier would be a compelling option. Although he is past his prime, during which he was nearly a 40% 3-point shooter, he could provide valuable bench scoring for the Lakers.
The Lakers entered the offseason needing to improve their 3-point shooting after attempting the fewest per game last season. Fournier, a career 37.4% 3-point shooter on 5.2 attempts per game, could address this need, even if his role is limited to taking open shots in short bursts of playing time.
