Lakers Reportedly Prioritizing Retaining Two Free Agents

This offseason is an extremely important one for the Los Angeles Lakers as they look to improve their roster around superstar guard Luka Doncic and build this team into a championship contender. The Lakers have a number of free agents who played big roles last season and the front office has some tough decisions to make.

Most of the focus has been on stars Austin Reaves and LeBron James, but role players like Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and Luke Kennard are also on the open market, while Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton could also opt out of their deals. And it sounds as if a couple of those players are a top priority for the Lakers to make sure they return next season, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:

The belief is that Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes are players the Lakers would prioritize bringing back as they try to best fit a roster around Doncic.

This makes a lot of sense for the Lakers as both Hachimura and Hayes have been crucial to the success of this team for many years now. Hachimura had an absolutely outstanding postseason run in which he made history with his shooting exploits. He averaged 17.5 points in the playoffs while shooting a ridiculous 56.9% from 3-point range. His shooting and improvements as a defender and rebounder have turned him into one of the most important Lakers.

Likewise, Hayes regularly stepped up for the Lakers throughout the regular season and playoffs. His energy off the bench is infectious and his chemistry with Doncic has only grown stronger. He is the ideal pick-and-roll partner for the superstar guard and has even received a Slovenian passport so he can play with Doncic on the national team.

This doesn’t mean that the Lakers don’t want to bring back players like Kennard or Smart and they will surely be in contact with them. But if they have to make the tough decisions, it sounds as if Hachimura and Hayes are the two they are least willing to lose and it is hard to argue with that thought process.

Magic Johnson: Lakers need to get younger, more athletic

The Lakers are looking to re-shape the roster so they can compete with the best teams in the league and in the eyes of franchise legend Magic Johnson, they must get younger and more athletic in order to hang with the likes of the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.