The Los Angeles Lakers continue to add veteran pieces to their roster, including the snagging of JaVale McGee late on the opening day of 2018 NBA free agency.
If the opening 24 hours of the 2018 NBA free agency have taught us anything, it’s that the strangeness and shocking transactions never stop coming, especially for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Their night started by the news that LeBron James has decided to join the Lakers on a four-year, $154 million deal, followed by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope agreeing to re-sign the Lakers on a one-year, $12 million deal.
Shortly after the two Klutch Sports clients pledged to the Lakers, things got weird in Lakerland. One of LeBron’s longtime nuisances Lance Stephenson agreed to join the Lakers on a one-year, $4.5 million contract.
Then, two-time NBA champion JaVale McGee struck a deal to join the Lakers on a one-year, minimum deal to leave the Golden State Warriors.
Sources: It’s a one-year, minimum deal to pry away the big man from Golden State. https://t.co/TU3NHrJ6Ri
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 2, 2018
McGee has been a punchline throughout his NBA career, and is an often a recurring character on Shaqtin’ A Fool, highlighting the NBA player’s most questionable and outrageous decisions during games.
Since joining Golden State, these moments still exist and his playing time has diminished as well, averaging only 9.5 minutes per game during his two seasons there, along with 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds.
But that has more to do with playing on the best team in the league with a crowded frontcourt and a coach who deployed small lineups with Draymond Green at the 5 most of the time. McGee had his moments with the Warriors, and was more of a glue guy who kept things light in the locker room and was loved by his teammates.
His fit with the Lakers, and LeBron in particular, is pretty clear. He will be the rim-running big on one end, providing LeBron, Lonzo Ball and the rest of their ball-handlers with a strong finisher at the rim.
Defensively, he is an above-average rim protector and showed great lateral quickness in the NBA Finals in terms of staying in front of dribblers, including staying on LeBron in his three starts this past Finals. His energy made a difference for the Warriors and him receiving minutes over Kevon Looney was an underlying factor in their dominance after Game 1.
McGee also went 14-for-17 from the field in those three starts, most of them being easy finishes at the rim. However, there should be plenty of space with the Lakers to replicate some of these numbers. He has infectious energy on the court and, despite some shortcomings with decision-making at times and the occasional brain fart, has developed into a positive player in the NBA.
It obviously won’t be as easy for him in Los Angeles as it was in Golden State, but he won’t be playing a great deal of minutes unless the Lakers fail to add another big man to the mix. He is a perfect bench big to play spot minutes with a budding second unit, and should provide plenty of laughs along with his rim-running ability and rim protection.
To make things better, he won’t cost the Lakers much at all, and adds another veteran presence to a locker room starting to balance itself out in terms of age with all of the young players already in the mix. This is a fun signing for a Lakers team that will be the talk of the NBA for the rest of the offseason and throughout the regular season.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Grade: B