The Los Angeles Lakers have landed superstar Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline, and the five-time All-Star could sign a massive four-year, $229 million contract this offseason.
Building a winning team around Doncic and a 40-year-old LeBron James won’t be easy. The Lakers need to strengthen their backcourt and find a reliable big man this summer.
They almost traded for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams at the deadline, but the deal fell apart after a failed physical.
Finding a replacement for D’Angelo Russell should be the priority, especially if Doncic gets hurt again. Here are three guards the Lakers should target:
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown turns 29 this August and just wrapped up his seventh NBA season. He split time between the Raptors and Pelicans, averaging 8.3 points and 4 rebounds in about 22 minutes per game.
His shooting was decent – 42% from the field and 33% on threes.
Brown’s on an expiring $45 million deal, making him available this summer.
What makes him special? He was a key piece of Denver’s championship team in 2022-23, where he posted career-best numbers of 11.5 points per game while playing solid defense.
De’Anthony Melton
De’Anthony Melton could be a smart pickup for the Lakers. The 27-year-old had a tough break this season, tearing his ACL in just his sixth game with the Warriors.
Before the injury, though, he was coming off his best scoring season. The USC product averaged 11.1 points while hitting 36% of his threes with the 76ers in 2023-24.
Melton signed a one-year, $12.82 million deal with Golden State last summer before being shipped to Brooklyn in December.
His injury might make him more affordable for the Lakers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The most underrated option might be Nickeil Alexander-Walker. At 6-foot-5 and turning 27 in September, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
He could be exactly the 3-and-D player the Lakers need, either as a starter or coming off the bench.
Alexander-Walker played all 82 games for the Timberwolves this season, averaging 9.4 points and hitting an impressive 38% of his three-pointers.
The six-year veteran also set career highs with 2.7 assists and 25.3 minutes per game, showing he’s still improving.
His combination of size, shooting, and defense would fit perfectly alongside Doncic and LeBron.
