Los Angeles Lakers: 5 free agents L.A. could regret not signing

3. Kemba Walker

For financial reasons, the Charlotte Hornets did not seem very interested in re-signing the man who is by far the best player on their team — someone who publicly made it clear that he actually wanted to stay in Charlotte and keep helping this perennially mediocre franchise get over the hump.

Despite Kemba Walker making his third straight All-Star appearance last season while averaging a career-best 25.6 points per game to go with 5.9 assists, the Hornets reportedly offered him a contract that was much less than the supermax deal for which he was eligible.

That opened the door for other suitors in free agency, and the Lakers were thought to be high on that list.

After trading for superstar big man Anthony Davis this offseason to pair with LeBron, it was obvious that L.A. needed to address its backcourt. Walker was one of the top point guards available in free agency. Many believe Walker is just a more durable version of Kyrie Irving, who helped LeBron win a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Instead of joining the Lakers, however, Walker is going to the Boston Celtics. There he will actually replace Irving and have a good shot at advancing in the playoffs for the first time in his pro career.