What Troy Daniels’ signing means for the Lakers and their pursuit of Kawhi Leonard
The Los Angeles Lakers got a much-needed 3-point specialist in shooting guard Troy Daniels, by signing him to a 1-year minimum $2.1 million contract. He brings his career average of 40 percent 3-point shooting (38.1% last season) to a Lakers team that was ranked 29th out of 30 teams in 3-point percentage (33.3%).
Teams with LeBron James have thrived when he was surrounded by perimeter shooters over the years, such as JR Smith, Kyle Korver, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and James Jones, among others. The Lakers were able to sign Daniels comfortably after creating cap space by trading youngsters Moe Wagner, Jemerrio Jones, and Isaac Bonga to the Washington Wizards in an expanded three-team deal, with superstar big man Anthony Davis being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Lakers.
Former young cornerstones Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and the No. 4 overall pick (Virginia swingman DeAndre Hunter, who was then traded to the Hawks) were sent from the Lakers to the Pelicans.
Daniels, 27, is not known for much beyond his shooting, as there are questions about his defense and ball-handling skills. That is likely a contributing factor as to why he has bounced around the NBA (the Lakers will be his sixth team) and was largely out of the rotation for a lowly Phoenix Suns team last season. His averages were 6.2 ppg in 14.9 minutes over 51 games.
However, Daniels has established himself as a sniper off the bench who can get hot in limited minutes. He has had two notable moments in his career, with the Houston Rockets and Charlotte Hornets, respectively. The first came in 2014, during Game 3 of the first round series between the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers, hitting what turned out the game-winning shot in overtime.
The other highlight of his career came as a Hornet in 2016, against the Sacramento Kings in a double-overtime thriller, scoring a then career-high 28 points on 8/11 from 3-pt range. This was a game that saw DeMarcus Cousins, then of the Sacramento Kings, score 56 points and grab 12 rebounds before fouling out. Daniels also hit a Steph Curry-like game-winner from well beyond the arc.
As of this writing, the Lakers are said by numerous sources to be gaining momentum in signing free agent reigning 2-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Some have even gone so far to say that it is a done deal.
Leonard would clearly command a max contract. The Lakers would then be committed to three max contracts with LeBron, AD, and Kawhi. That would only leave space for a series of small to minimum contracts to be signed in order to fill out the roster.
That is why Troy Daniels’ signing becomes even more important with their dream team scenario. His $2.1 million salary for 1 year will not eat too much into the cap space, and he fills a need for the Lakers roster. He is an inexpensive addition that also helps with filling out the roster.
The Lakers’ franchise and the NBA as we know it could change drastically if Kawhi Leonard joins LeBron James and Anthony Davis, forming arguably the most talented trio ever to step on the floor in the NBA.
But it is still very much a tossup, as the long-rumored Clippers are still a major factor, and there is still a chance that he returns to Toronto to defend the title, at least short term. Also, Kawhi is notoriously secretive, so no one honestly knows where he is going and what his thoughts are. Ultimately, everyone has to wait and see what he does.