Kendrick Perkins raves about Rob Pelinka for doing a spectacular job: "They are winning in this free agency"
Kendrick Perkins is very impressed with LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka for the things he has done on the first day of free agency. The Lakers were one of the busiest teams on Friday, as they signed four players and are not close to being done.
On a special episode of 'NBA Today' on ESPN, the crew of Perkins, Richard Jefferson, Zach Lowe, Dave McMenamin and Malika Andrews discussed the first day of free agency.
Perkins raved about the Lakers' moves and called them the winners of the offseason so far:
"This means that Rob Pelinka is doing his thing right now," Perkins said. "The Lakers right now, I know it's early, they are winning in this free agency. They are winning right now."
"Rob Pelinka is doing his thing right now and the Lakers ... they are winning in this free agency."
—@KendrickPerkins https://t.co/1IDJcXgdO4
GM Pelinka started off the LA Lakers free agency by signing forward Taurean Prince to a one-year, $4.5 million deal. He then tried to get Bruce Brown to come to Hollywood, but the Indiana Pacers offered more money.
The Lakers general manager bounced back by signing guard Gabe Vincent to a three-year, $33 million contract. He then followed up by bringing back Rui Hachimura to the tune of a three-year, $51 million deal. Hachimura was a restricted free agent, but the Lakers secured him fast.
Pelinka was not done yet, as he signed Cam Reddish to a two-year, veteran's minimum contract. Reddish has been linked to the Lakers for what seemed like forever, and he now has the chance to wear iconic purple and gold jersey.
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Rob Pelinka is not done dealing in free agency
Rob Pelinka has certainly done a wonderful job on the first day of free agency by adding three good role players and bringing back their best player off the bench. However, Pelinka still needs to bring back fan-favorite Austin Reaves, who was the LA Lakers' third-best player in the postseason.
Reaves is a restricted free agent, which means he can sign any offer sheet from any NBA team. The Lakers can match the offer but a team can price them out by going over the top with the contract. Pelinka will also need to bring back D'Angelo Russell, who is an unrestricted free agent.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the Lakers can bring back both Reaves and Russell, while also retaining the right to sign two more free agents to a vets minimum. Buha also noted that the Lakers will likely use those two minimum deals to sign backup centers.
The Lakers’ projected depth chart if they retain Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell:
DLo/Vincent/JHS
Reaves/Christie/Lewis
LeBron/Prince/Reddish
Rui/Vando
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They clearly need a backup center with one of their final two veteran’s minimum contracts. Starters are fluid.
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