4 Lakers Who Won't Be Back in 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers have consistently been a topic of discussion even though their season ended on April 29 at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers had a checklist of things to do as they prepare for the 2024-25 season. The biggest domino was hiring a new head coach to replace Darvin Ham but that just became official on June 20 as they named J.J. Redick as the new lead man.
The next thing they need to do is re-sign LeBron James but that shouldn't be a problem now.
The Lakers still need to revamp the roster so that means multiple players who were on the 2023-24 roster won't be back next season.
Below we'll discuss four players who won't return to the City of Angels next season.
4. Taurean Prince
Forward Taurean Prince signed a one-year deal worth $4.5 million last offseason. It was believed that Prince would be a lengthy wing who could space the floor with his jumper offensively while being a disruptive defender.
That wasn't the case as Prince was inconsistent all throughout the season. The Baylor product played in 78 games, including 49 starts but he averaged 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
He shot 44% from the field and a respectable 39.6% from beyond the arc but that wasn't good enough. Prince had a problem being an effective defender and his offensive skillset wasn't good enough to overcome that.
Prince was also a non-factor in the first-round series against the Nuggets, averaging just 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and shot 41% from the field but 29.4% from 3-point land.
The Lakers are better off using the money they gave to Prince to add someone else this offseason.