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When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster needs this offseason, most are focused on how much the team needs a starting-caliber center. But the Lakers are also in need of improved guard and wing depth.
Problem is, they have a limited number of trade assets and very little, if any, salary cap flexibility. That means they will need to sign a couple of players to the veteran’s minimum salary who will provide good value.
Jovan Buha, a Lakers beat writer for The Athletic, suggested during a recent episode of “Buha’s Block” that guard De’Anthony Melton could be a decent free agent option for the team.
“I really like Melton as a flyer. I think, at this point, he’s gonna be a vet-minimum guy… I think he’s a guy who, for a vet minimum contract, you could do a lot worse,” said Buha.
Melton was a second-round draft pick in 2018 out of the University of Southern California. He has been known as a strong defender, especially on opposing ball-handling guards, and although he stands a modest 6-foot-3, he has a wingspan of 6-foot-8 and weighs a somewhat stocky 200 pounds.
He has become a reliable 3-point shooter over the last few years, and he possesses ample quickness that especially helps him on the defensive end.
However, Melton tore his ACL early this season back in November. The guard, who was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Brooklyn Nets in December, may not be able to earn that much money this summer as a result.
If he’s available for the veteran minimum’s salary, perhaps the Lakers should at least consider him on a one-year deal. He is a native of the Southland who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, so perhaps he could be enticed to come back home.
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