Getty LeBron James guards Stephen Curry
The Los Angeles Lakers need more shooters and defenders around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale believes Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s brother-in-law could help the purple and gold.
In a May 10 piece, Favale urged the Lakers to look into the possibility of signing Warriors wing Damion Lee, who is married to Curry’s sister and becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“Damion Lee can deepen the rotation on a beggar’s dime,” Favale wrote. “He wasn’t as much of a staple in the Golden State Warriors rotation to close this season, but his usage is extremely plug-and-go. … Shooting? And defense? From the same player? For someone possibly low profile enough to slip through to the minimum-salary ranks? Inject it all right into the Lakers’ depth chart. They need it.”
Lee averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists for the Warriors this season in 63 games. He shot 44.1% from the field, 33.7% from beyond the arc and 88.0% from the free-throw line.
Lee Is a Sharp off-Ball Mover
According to Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes, Lee is a “sharp off-ball mover.” The Lakers need perimeter players who can roam around the 3-point line while James and Davis have the ball and spot up and hit 3-pointers and Lee fits that bill.
“The veteran wing has averaged 20.6 minutes per game for the Warriors during his four years with the team, and he’s been a reliable source of three-point shooting (35.7 percent for his career) and solid perimeter defense,” Hughes wrote. “A sharp off-ball mover, Lee ranked in the 81st percentile in points per possession on cuts this season. Though his numbers dipped a bit from deep in 2021-22, he also shot 40.5 percent on spot-up threes a year ago. Adding to the package, Lee has ranked in the top quartile at his position in defensive rebound rate during every year of his career.”
Lee is a career 35.7% shooter from beyond the arc. He can not only shoot from the perimeter, but Lee can also guard point guards, shooting guards and small forwards since he’s 6-foot-5 and over 200 pounds.
The Lakers allowed 115.1 points per game this season, 28th of 30, so they need all the help they can get on the defensive end.
Lakers’ Offseason Approach: Taxpayer MLE & Veteran Minimums
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Lakers have a taxpayer MLE worth $6,392,000 they can use this summer. Los Angeles has a league-high 13 free agents and Smith believes the franchise will use the taxpayer MLE and multiple veteran minimum deals to fill out the roster around James and Davis.
“Los Angeles will use their Taxpayer MLE to snag a rotation player,” Smith wrote. “It’s actually a nice piece of spending power in a summer where most of the league is capped out and half of the teams are dealing with luxury tax issues of their own. Beyond that, at least a few of their own minimum signings will probably be back for another run at things.”
Lee made $1,910,860 this season. He signed a three-year, $4.5 million deal with the Warriors in January 2020.