Lakers Could Steal Intriguing Wing Away From Rival Contender, Per NBA GM

The Los Angeles Lakers have to make some calculations this offseason and get the missing pieces for their puzzle. They have LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the team. Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and the rest of the guys tried their best to keep the game at a high level. Sadly, some of the players didn’t give their best shot in the postseason which pushed the Lakers out of contention. The Lakers front office is expected to make major moves in the offseason and a rival wing could easily become their target.

A Western Conference general manager told Sean Deveney from Heavy Sports that Donte DiVincenzo from the Golden State Warriors could become a target for the Lakers this summer.

“A lot depends on what happens with the guys they’ve got, (Malik) Beasley, Lonnie Walker and the bigger guys like Rui (Hachimura) and D’Angelo Russell,” the NBA exec said. “Austin Reaves, you kind of know where he is going to be in the first two years of his deal (because of CBA restrictions).

“They’re going to be looking at the tax, for sure. They want to give their young guy, (Max) Christie, a good look, he could be in the rotation next year. I think they also like Cole Swider, who is on a two-way. It’s possible they won’t have a ton of roster overhaul, but they would like another shooter.

“They could make a push for Donte DiVincenzo from the Warriors, depending on what they do with him. He might command more than the tax MLE on the market, but he would be the right kind of guy, a shooter and ballhandler off the bench.”

Will the Lakers get another wing?

DiVincenzo has a player option this year and has a chance to test the open market in the offseason. He signed a two-year deal with the Warriors and will earn about $4.7 million if he stays with the team.

In 2022-23, DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while completing 39.7 from long range in 77 games with 36 starts.

The Lakers will have to spend some money to get DiVincenzo. He is a good player and John Hollinger from The Athletic ranks him at No. 35 in his free-agent list.

“The question is whether anybody values him enough to pay him as a starter with cap space, or whether he tops as a midlevel exception signing for about $52 million over four years,” Hollinger wrote on June 8. “With a paucity of teams with cap space and a crowded shooting guard market, it’s possible he gets squeezed.

“Either way, however, he will do far better than the $4.5 million taxpayer MLE he had to settle for last summer. DiVincenzo has a player option for $4.7 million to return to the Warriors, I should note, but there is zero chance he exercises it.”