The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most frustrating teams of the offseason as the front office seemingly chose to run it back for another year. The team refused to make any major moves in free agency or the trade market. However, Laker fans aren't the only people eagerly waiting for some offseason activity.
There are currently plenty of free agents, some of whom are former Lakers, still waiting for the phone to ring for their next NBA contract. Let's take a look at some familiar faces still looking for a job as the new NBA season approaches.
Talen Horton-Tucker
Remember the time the Lakers had made a young Talen Horton-Tucker untouchable in any trade negotiations? The 6'4 guard was one of their most prized assets in the eyes of the front office. Fast forward a couple of years and Horton-Tucker is in danger of being out of the league.
On paper, Horton-Tucker has the physical tools and the skill set to be an intriguing player. He has good positional size, elite wingspan, defensive potential, and playmaking ability. He can handle the ball, has solid passing vision, and has impressive strength to finish in traffic.
However, he hasn't been able to put these tools together to become an effective NBA player.
The 23-year-old spent the last two seasons at Utah. Even though the Jazz gave him plenty of opportunity and studio space to explore what he could do, Horton-Tucker has failed to take a step forward. His efficiency from the field tanked as he made a career-low 43.8% of his two-point attempts and 39.6% of his field goal attempts. For a player who is not a good three-point shooter either, those are abysmal numbers.
It is very difficult to be impactful if you are a perimeter player who can't shoot or score. Horton-Tucker currently doesn't have the other skills required to make that kind of an impact. He is still young and could still have a career but he may need to try his luck overseas for a couple of seasons before getting back to the NBA.
Lonnie Walker IV
This one is a bit baffling. Far worse players have signed contracts so far in free agency but the fact that a decent role player like Lonnie Walker is still unemployed is confusing.
The 25-year-old shooting guard had a solid year with the Lakers back in the 2022-23 season, playing a surprising role in the playoffs as an instant scorer off the bench. Walker can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end. He is a solid three-point shooter, having hit over 36% from downtown in each of his last two seasons. He is athletic, can get out in transition, and attack the basket on closeouts. He doesn't do enough to be a starter but he is certainly good enough to be in a rotation on a lot of teams in the NBA.
Walker spent last season with the Nets and after choosing to rebuild, Brooklyn didn't bring him back. It's hard to imagine him not being able to find another contract in the league.
Markieff Morris
The same can not be said about Markieff Morris, however. The 34-year-old forward has an excellent reputation as a locker room presence, glue guy, and a veteran mentor but he hasn't been a productive NBA player for a while now.
It can be argued that his last good season came with the Lakers in the 2019-20 season when he helped them win a championship at the bubble. Since then, he has played on three different teams, failing to find consistent playing time.
Morris can still find a role as an enforcer and an end-of-the-bench player but his days as an impactful player are over.
Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson finds himself in a similar situation to Markieff Morris. The veteran big man is a respected player around the league and is consistently brought in for his extensive experience. He has been on a different playoff team in each of his last four seasons; Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cleveland and could presumably find another team as we inch closer to the start of the regular season.
However, at age 33, Thompson doesn't have much left to give on the court. He is still a good rebounder and a solid physical presence but he is very limited offensively.
The Lakers had signed him back in 2023 as a defensive specialist to guard Nikola Jokic in the playoffs. One can see another team doing the same next season.
JaVale McGee
After winning the 2020 NBA championship with the Lakers, JaVale McGee has struggled to replicate that success elsewhere. He spent the last four years on five different teams, failing to become a full-time starter.
McGee is one of the most experienced and decorated free agents out there. He was the starting center on two title-winning teams (2020 Lakers and 2018 Warriors) and a major contributor off the bench in another (2017 Warriors). He has 74 playoff appearances under his belt.
As an interior presence in the paint, rebounder, and rim protector, McGee could help a team for ten minutes per game. Don't be shocked, however, if he chooses to retire instead.
Wesley Matthews
The Lakers struggled to surround their superstar with enough shooting and two-way role players throughout the LeBron James era. Sometimes, they would sign players of the right profile and they would forget how to shoot in a Lakers uniform.
Wes Matthews was one of those players. The Lakers signed him in the 2020 offseason with the hopes of being a solid three-and-D role player around LeBron and Anthony Davis. Instead, he had the worst season of his career, shooting 33.5% from three and a miserable 35.3% from the field, averaging 4.8 points per game.
Even though he played slightly better in his next stop in Milwaukee, he wasn't able to reach the same heights he did earlier in his career with Portland and Dallas. Therefore, it is not too surprising that his phone isn't inundated with offers at age 37.
Reggie Bullock
Bullock's story is similar to Wes Matthews'. In LeBron James' first year in Los Angeles, the Lakers traded for Bullock from Detroit to get more shooting and three-and-D play from the perimeter. Bullock, who had shot 44.5% from three a year prior, only made 34.3% of his threes in Los Angeles after the trade.
His stint with the Lakers didn't last too long as the veteran wing signed with the Knicks in the next offseason. He re-established his career in Dallas between 2021 and 2023 but he had a down year with the Rockers last season.
He is 33 years old and his days as an effective NBA player weren't too long ago, so he should be able to land a veteran's minimum contract somewhere before the season begins.
