Getty Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris.
The Los Angeles Lakers have embraced making some big changes to the roster this offseason but there will be some key pieces who return. The team already locked up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a big contract and it looks like another veteran is sticking around. Markieff Morris announced on Twitter that he was going to “run it back.”
Run it back! #Lakeshow
Shortly after, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that Morris is coming back on a one-year deal.
Reports recently popped up that Morris was considering joining his brother Markieff on the Clippers. That wouldn’t have been great for the Lakers but that always sounded more like a pipe dream. The two brothers have very similar styles of play so it might be redundant to have them on the same team. Regardless, the Lakers will be very happy to have Morris back. He became a dependable player off the bench in the playoffs and was one of their top 3-point shooters. Now that he’ll have a full year with the team under his belt, he should be even better.
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Clippers Ibaka Signing Is Big Deal
During the early parts of free agency, it looked like the Clippers were getting fleeced. They didn’t land any big names and only pulled off a trade for Luke Kennard. However, they surprised a lot of people when they were able to land Serge Ibaka in free agency. It looked like the Lakers or Brooklyn Nets might try to land him but the Clippers won out.
That moves isn’t as flashy as the Lakers signing Montrezl Harrell or trading for Dennis Schroder but it was a big move for the Clippers. They desperately needed a rim protector last season. A big reason they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs was that they couldn’t stop Nikola Jokic.
Ibaka is one of the best defenders in the NBA and is also a capable scorer. By signing him, the Clippers filled their biggest need. They weren’t able to land a strong point guard so they still have issues. That said, it would be foolish for the Lakers to underestimated the Clippers this year. They have two All-Stars and now they have their rim protector.
Other Veterans Lakers Could Re-Sign
With Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Danny Green and Dwight Howard all landing with new teams, the Lakers could look very different this year. The only notable free agent the Lakers still have is Jared Dudley.
He wasn’t necessarily an impact player on the court but he brings a lot of leadership to the team’s bench. Dudley isn’t about to find a role on the offense or the defense but the Lakers should consider bringing him back. He’d be really cheap and with so many new guys coming in, it would be smart to bring back a savvy veteran who is familiar with the team.
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Lakers Re-Sign Free Agent Veteran to Deal