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4 Former Lakers L.A. Should Sign for a Reunion This Offseason

There's nothing like reuniting with a familiar face. That's why the Lakers should consider targeting these four former Los Angeles players for a reunion this summer.

By Devon Platana

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of three former Lakers who should return to Los Angeles this offseason.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of three former Lakers who should return to Los Angeles this offseason. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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With J.J. Redick officially announced as the new head coach, the Los Angeles Lakers can finally turn their attention to the remainder of the NBA offseason. General manager Rob Pelinka & Co. have a long summer ahead of them after the Lakers were bounced from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive postseason.

Even though a large portion of Lakers fans are focused on the 2024 NBA Draft and its fallout, others are already looking past that. Whether it's through free agency or the trade market, Los Angeles needs all the help it can get to compete for the Larry O'Brien Trophy next season.

Adding new faces to the lineup is exciting and all, but sometimes the best addition is a familiar face. With several former Los Angeles players available this offseason, here are four ex-Lakers who the franchise should target.

1. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF/SG

When it comes to the NBA offseason, two areas where the Lakers must improve are wing depth and three-point shooting. Fortunately, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who played for the franchise from 2017 to 2021 — would help fix both of those issues.

Caldwell-Pope, 31, is a battle-proven NBA veteran who's averaged 11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals with .427/.369/819 shooting splits. He's coming off a solid year with the Denver Nuggets where he averaged close to his career numbers while also putting up 1.6 threes made on 4.1 attempts per game (40.6%).

While the former Georgia Bulldog has a $15.4 million player option for the 2024-25 NBA season, don't count on him remaining in the Mile High City. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently reported that Caldwell-Pope "is going to opt out" and hit the open market. Even though the Lakers don't have the free cash to offer him a similar deal, they could always work out a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets.

After all, Los Angeles has enough moveable pieces to make a deal work. Rui Hachimura ($17 million), Gabe Vincent ($11 million), and Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7 million) offer the Lakers a ton of financial flexibility. With one or two draft picks going back the Nuggets' way, a deal is possible.

Given that Caldwell-Pope's two-way play was a big reason why the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship, bringing him back is worth the try.

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