Veteran Free Agent Displays Interest in Joining Lakers

Free agent James Ennis has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and the California-native is intrigued by the idea, his recent social media activity serving as evidence of that.

Astute Twitter users noticed Ennis’ likes on Twitter and noticed that the 31-year-old had liked multiple messages encouraging him to join the Lakers.

“Time to come home #LakeShow,” one of the tweets he liked read. “[LeBron James] bout to make it happen.”

 

The Lakers have a dozen players under contract for next season but have a few spots available at the end of the bench. Ennis is a veteran 3-and-D wing and could be a nice piece to add. Ennis battled injuries last season, averaging 8.4 points, four rebounds, 1.5 assists while shooting 43.3% from long range in 41 appearances including 37 starts. Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein linked Ennis to the Lakers earlier this offseason.

“For Lakers, wing depth is more important than a backup guard,” Stein noted during a Greenroom episode. “James Ennis is a name that’s been mentioned for Lakers.”

Ennis attended Ventura High School and played the majority of his college basketball at Long Beach State.

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Lakers Reshaped Roster in Offseason With Veterans

Ennis would just be the latest veteran for the Lakers to bring in this offseason. Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Wayne Ellington are among the veteran names the Lakers brought in this offseason. Here’s how the roster currently looks in terms of players on guaranteed contracts

• LeBron James
• Anthony Davis
• Russell Westbrook
• Marc Gasol
• Dwight Howard
• Trevor Ariza
• Wayne Ellington
• Malik Monk
• Kent Bazemore
• Carmelo Anthony
• Talen Horton-Tucker
• Kendrick Nunn

Austin Reaves and Joel Ayayi are both on two-way contracts and the Lakers want a better look at Chaundee Brown and Mac McClung, who played on their Summer League squad.

The Lakers are expected to leave an open roster spot to be flexible if an opportunity arises, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Lakers, who have 12 players under guaranteed contracts, will go into the 2021-22 season carrying 14 players in order to maintain flexibility, sources said. Each team can carry a maximum of 15 players and two two-way players.

A third point guard is a priority, sources said, along with potentially adding another wing.

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Jeremy Lamb Among Names Lakers Linked to

Another name the Lakers have been linked to is Jeremy Lamb, who is currently on the Pacers roster. The Lakers are lacking assets and cap space, which could make facilitating a trade difficult. Lamb in the final year of a three-year deal that pays him $10.5 million. J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star reported the Lakers interest in Lamb.

Lamb averaged 10.1 points on 43.5% shooting from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. However, he dealt with injuries, which means teams will really have to do their homework before pulling off a deal. The best-case situation for the Lakers would be if Lamb was bought out by the Pacers and could be added to the roster at a lower number.

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