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This year’s free agency has already had a few surprises and the Los Angeles Lakers have been involved in a couple of them. Shortly after losing Dwight Howard to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers pulled off a big move. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the team is signing reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell.
It’s safe to say that nobody saw this move coming as Harrell hasn’t been linked to the Lakers in any rumors. However, this is a big move for them. He probably isn’t a direct replacement for Howard but he’s an upgrade nonetheless. Harrell is coming off a career year with the Clippers where he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds a game while coming off the bench. Not only does this move make the Lakers better, but it also makes the Clippers worse.
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Lakers Have Sixth Man of the Year & Runner Up
With this signing, the Lakers now have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Harrell and the runner up in Dennis Schroder. Time will tell if both men will come off the bench, but if they do, the Lakers will have arguably the best bench in the NBA.
There’s still a lot that can happen this offseason but it’s hard to imagine another team forming a better roster than what Los Angeles has done. They’ve got the best duo in the NBA and just gave them Harrell and Schroder. Free agency isn’t even finished yet so the Lakers can keep getting better. Harrell doesn’t fit a huge need but he’s a great player and brings the team a fourth scoring option.
Patrick Beverley Reacts to News
As happy as the Lakers are right now, the Clippers are probably just as mad. They’ve done almost nothing this offseason. They traded for Luke Kennard, who is a good shooter, but he’s not a massive upgrade. Patrick Beverley reacted to the news and clearly wasn’t happy.
Beverley is infamous for crowning the Clippers as champions last offseason after they signed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. He’s probably feeling a lot different now. This is a massive slap in the face to the Clippers. Last season, every time the Lakers were linked to a player, it seemed like the Clippers swooped up and got them.
It’s now completely flipped. The Lakers just stole one of their best players and have upgraded in other spots. The Clippers were widely considered the favorites to win it all last season. That’s not going to be the case this year.
According to Farbod Esnaashari, the team is “shocked” by the news.
With this deal, the Lakers have once again cemented their spots as the kings of Los Angeles. Obviously, there’s still a season to be played and the Clippers could still add talent. However, they poked the bear and are now suffering the consequences.
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