Lakers Were Turned Down in Free Agency By Veteran Wing: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers had an eventful summer. LA did not make the splash that many expected, but they made moves that will very likely put them in contention in the tough Western Conference. 

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The Lakers made three major additions to the team, signing Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia and arguably their most significant signing, adding big man Deandre Ayton. 

However, the Lakers were close to adding another potential key contributor, Bruce Brown. Brown, who was an unrestricted free agent this summer, had a flurry of teams he could have signed with, but ultimately, he chose to sign with the Denver Nuggets. 

Bennett Durando of the Denver Post spoke to Brown about his free agency choice, and he revealed that the Lakers were among the teams he was considering. 

“I was like, ‘You know what, I don’t care how much (I get offered). If I get somewhere more, I don’t care. I’m just gonna go back to Denver because I just think it’s a perfect fit for me,’” Brown said. “Playing style, and I mean, I want to win again. So I think it was a pretty quick answer for me once I found out they wanted me back.”

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Brown has given the Lakers some fits, especially in his time with the Nuggets during the 2022-23 season. His athleticism, defense, and stubbornness on both sides of the floor were detrimental to the Lakers and led the Nuggets to their title that season. 

In the Western Conference Finals that year, Brown made a name for himself and thrived like no other. In those four games, the 29-year-old averaged 12.3 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 

The former second-round pick was a solid player before his stint in Denver, but it is clear that he played his best basketball in Mile High City alongside Nikola Jokic. 

Now, he is back in Denver, and they have as good a chance as anyone to be the last team standing this season. The Lakers and Nuggets will be jockeying for seeding throughout the season, and these two teams could likely meet in the playoffs once again. 

If that is the case, the Lakers and Nuggets would meet in the playoffs for the third time this decade alone. 

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