The Los Angeles Lakers continue to look for ways to upgrade the roster. With Bradley Beal going to the Clippers, one of their top targets is no longer an option.
This late into free agency, the Lakers aren’t going to find many big names, but they could find solid guard depth. One of Gary Payton II’s first chances in the NBA was with the Lakers back in 2018. He only played 11 games for the team, but has ended up having a productive NBA career, mostly with the Golden State Warriors.
Payton is still a free agent and just made an interesting move. According to Real GM, Payton has switched his agency to WME Sports. He’ll now be represented by agent Bill Duffy.Duffy represents three Lakers players, including Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes and most notably, Luka Doncic. He doesn’t represent more than two players on any other franchise.
Naturally, this will lead to speculation that Payton could be eyeing a reunion with the Lakers. It would make sense. His father, NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, played for the franchise, and they gave him one of his early opportunities. Plus, the Lakers could use a player like him off the bench.Lakers Looking for ‘Point of Attack’ Defense
Payton isn’t going to score a lot of points. He only averages 5.5 points a game over his career and hits just 34% of his 3-point shots. However, he excels on the defensive side of the ball.
According to Dan Woike and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, that’s exactly what the Lakers are looking for right now.The Lakers have additional roster work to do. The team can create a roster spot by waiving guard Shake Milton, and team sources have said that improving the team’s point of attack defense is a priority,” Woike and Vardon wrote.
The Lakers have plenty of scoring between Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but the defense was lacking toward the end of last season. Having a player like Payton who can make a consistent impact on that side of the court would only help the team. Now that he’s got the same agent as three other Lakers, it’s hard to imagine they won’t at least talk about a possible reunion.Lakers Praised for Ayton Deal
The Lakers might also be eager to do business with Duffy again. He helped they get a very favorable deal with Ayton.
Yahoo Sports listed Ayton’s two-year, $16.2 million contract with the Lakers as one of the best of the offseason.
“I get that the Blazers paid him $25.6 million not to play for them this season,” Ben Rohrbach wrote. “I get that he has underwhelmed as a recent No. 1 overall pick, often demonstrating a lack of commitment to his team. But if he can recommit to the brand of basketball that made him an invaluable member of the Phoenix Suns’ 2021 NBA Finals run — protecting the rim, running in transition, finishing around the basket and setting hard screens in the pick-and-roll for the Lakers’ three best players — he should easily exceed his value.”
