The Los Angeles Lakers have found their starting center in Deandre Ayton without giving up their remaining draft capital and some of their expiring deals.
That could only mean the Lakers are still armed to add more to their core of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Ayton.
One of their options is veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers are among the group of contenders who are looking to add the former Sixth Man and Rookie of the Year.
“League sources say that the Wizards are open to sign-and-trade discussions to facilitate Brogdon’s exit and a slew of teams have registered varying levels of interest in the 32-year-old. That list includes the Clippers, Suns and Lakers as well as the Warriors, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Kings and Bucks,” Fischer wrote.
Brogdon, 32, had his second-lowest scoring average last season, though he only saw action for 24 games. He was sidelined by a left ankle sprain for the final 28 games. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 12.7 points while shooting a career-worst 28.6% from the three-point line, 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game for the rebuilding Washington Wizards.
Injuries have derailed his once-promising career. He has not played over 70 games since his rookie season. Since the Boston Celtics shipped him to Portland in 2023, Brogdon has only played in 63 games across the last two seasons.
When healthy, Brogdon provides a steady hand and tough perimeter defense off the bench with his 6 feet 10.5 inches wingspan, which the Lakers need after coach JJ Redick did not trust his bench in their first-round exit.
Why the Lakers Cannot Sign Malcom Brogdon as a Free Agent
GettyVeteran guard Malcolm Brogdon is on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar.
Brogdon is an unrestricted free agent after earning $22.5 million last season.
The Lakers are out of spending power to sign Brogdon outright. They hard-capped themselves at the first apron after using their $15.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception on Jake LaRavia and Ayton.
The Lakers still have the $5.1 million bi-annual exception, but bringing back Jaxson Hayes on a one-year deal worth $3.4 million that is above the veteran minimum crippled their ability to access it. They can open up $3.9 million of their bi-annual exception if they waive reserve guard Shake Milton‘s non-guaranteed $3 million salary.
But even that might not be enough to sign Brogdon.
The Lakers still have one first-round pick (2031 or 2032), former first-round pick Dalton Knecht, a second-round pick and up to four pick swaps to use in a trade. They also have nearly $55 million in expiring salaries (Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber and Gabe Vincent).
Bradley Beal Option Opens Up
Getty Bradley Beal is a better option than Malcolm Brogdon for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers can add a better player than Brogdon without going through the complicated sign-and-trade path.
That option fell into their lap again as they landed on Bradley Beal’s short list of preferred landing spots after the expected buyout with the Phoenix Suns.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported on July 7 that the Lakers are one of the four teams on Bradley’s list.
“According to a league source, the list of teams Beal has thought about includes the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks,” Katz wrote.
While the Lakers can sign Beal for the veteran minimum, the three-time All-Star guard might require more than that as he stands to lose at least $13.8 million to allow the Suns to waive and stretch him.
They may have to salary dump some of their expiring players to open up cap room or gain access to their full $5.1 million bi-annual exception.
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