Los Angeles Lakers: 2016 Offseason Grades

Adding Mozzy

In the first few hours of the 2016 NBA Free Agency Period, the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most talked about moves of the summer — and not in a good way.

With multiple star caliber centers still available, the Lakers came to agreement with former Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov on a whopping four-year, $64 million deal. The move was met with immediate outrage from Lakers fans and outright mockery from just about everyone else.

https://twitter.com/Scottastic_/status/752321527924666368

They would be somewhat right to react in such a fashion, as Mozgov is coming off of a season where he only played 17.4 minutes a game and averaged 6.3 points a night for the reigning champs — numbers that went down to 5.8 minutes and 1.2 points a game in the Finals.

Those defending the Lakers’ decision point to how Mozgov played two seasons ago as the Cavs’ starting center, when he averaged 10.6 points, 6.9 boards and 1.2 blocks a night after being traded to Cleveland halfway through the 2014-15 season. That Mozgov could at least contribute as a threat in the pick-and-roll with Russell, Clarkson or Ingram and serve as a decent shot-blocker for the purple and gold.

However, it’s hard to believe that the now 30-year-old Mozgov won’t eventually get lost in the fray with Walton’s desire to play faster (a.k.a. smaller) and especially after seeing how talented rookie Ivica Zubac is already.

With all those factors in mind, it’s pretty difficult to see how the Lakers won’t look back on this as an instance of extremely overpaying a player who’s mediocre at best.

Grade: C- 

Next: Deng Signing