Dennis Schröder, Alex Caruso, Talen Horton-Tucker & more: Taking stock of Lakers’ free agents after exit interviews
After a premature postseason exit, the Lakers must turn their attention to a long and important offseason.
They can have as many as 10 free agents this summer, meaning next season’s roster could once again look drastically different, depending on who they prioritize and how deep Los Angeles is willing to go into the luxury tax.
The Lakers have five players officially under contract for next season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marc Gasol and Kyle Kuzma. The five salaries total $110.27 million for 2021-22 (this includes Luol Deng’s stretched $5 million of dead cap space, but doesn’t include cap holds and empty roster charges).
That figure is roughly $2 million below the projected 2021-22 salary cap of $112.41 million, which means the Lakers don’t have the wiggle room to drive a hard bargain in contract negotiations with their free agents. If certain free agents leave, there will be no means of replacing them, and the Lakers’ depth could take a massive hit.
To gauge the current status of each Laker free agent, or potential free agent, here is the roundup of what every player said in their exit interview on Friday, with additional analysis into what it could mean for the player’s future in Los Angeles.
Dennis Schröder
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “I wanna be here and win a championship. That’s not even a question. And it wasn’t about money, because everyone who knows me knows it’s not about money, either. Of course, we want to be fair. … End of the day, if everything is good, we gonna come back and win a championship next year.”
Analysis: That Schröder quote is actually from after Game 6, when he addressed his free agency for the umpteenth time. Schröder’s mixed messaging continues to indicate that he wants to remain with the Lakers, as long as he feels the contract is fair.
Schröder didn’t perform like a $20-plus million player in 2020-21, the figure he’s been looking for annually, and there are concerns about his postseason fit alongside James and Davis, particularly his spot-up 3-point shooting, pass-shot decision-making and diminutive size.
And then for Schröder, there aren’t many legitimate suitors that make sense unless he’s just looking for the most money possible. What team is paying him $20-plus million a year? His market isn’t clear. Perhaps the compromise is a short-term deal, something like two years for $40-45 million.
Andre Drummond
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “I think overall, this year, I had an incredible time just in the short stint that I was here. … I think I’ve learned so much just being around the coaching staff, our teammates. Just an incredible group of guys that we have here. We’re looking forward to building more with them.
“We have a lot of time for that. August is around the corner, so when that time comes around to have those discussions, I’ll have those discussions.”
Analysis: The Drummond experiment wasn’t quite an abject failure, but it obviously wasn’t a success. Drummond is a fine player with palpable strengths: rebounding, defensive mobility, strength and physicality. He also has glaring weaknesses: he clogs the lane, is one of the worst post players in the league and has limitations when he’s forced into rotation.
Drummond is an archaic archetype, one that doesn’t translate well to the postseason as a starter. The Lakers pumped him up all season only to bench him in their biggest game of the season. His future is somewhat tied to Gasol and Harrell, both of whom will be covered below. But unless he’s willing to accept a veteran minimum offer, or one of the Lakers’ available exceptions, depending on who they renounce and re-sign, Drummond will likely be elsewhere on opening night 2021.
Alex Caruso
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “Obviously I’m a free agent looming come August. Hopefully, we can return and continue a great partnership. But that’s obviously for a later date.”
Analysis: Caruso is the Lakers free agent that has the most league-wide appeal. He’s a plug-and-play option in just about any system, stepping in as a third or fourth guard who can defend either backcourt spot, co-pilot a second-unit offense, finish in transition and shoot around league-average on 3s on low volume.
Caruso has a unique role in that he rarely plays more than 20-to-24 minutes, but he’s an essential cog in closing lineups due to his knack for making big plays. He’s likely going to receive a contract at the non-taxpayer mid-level ($10.1 million) annually at a minimum. He could easily get something in the $12-13 million range. Re-signing Caruso will be a top priority for the Lakers.
Talen Horton-Tucker
Contract status: Restricted free agent
Quote: “I haven’t really thought about it as much because it was during the season. I wasn’t really trying to give it too much train of thought. But I appreciate the opportunity that I’ve had here, and I just want to let my representation kind of handle all of that. I feel like they’ll steer me in the right direction wherever.”
Analysis: Horton-Tucker had the most polished answer of any Laker regarding his future. The use of past-tense verbs was interesting, and potentially telling if he ultimately seeks a larger role elsewhere. Horton-Tucker emerged as the Lakers’ ninth man in the regular season, only to predictably be benched because of his poor 3-point shooting and defensive struggles in the postseason.
The 20-year-old will be a rotation fixture one day, and possibly even a starter. It just might not be on the Lakers — or next season. It all depends on Horton-Tucker’s level of patience, as well as his offseason growth. The Lakers have made it clear they view him as a long-term piece, and they’ll likely match any reasonable offer sheet he receives in free agency.
Marc Gasol
Contract status: $2.69 million for 2021-22
Quote: “Obviously, they have a lot of decisions to make. I don’t think I’m at the top of the list of those decisions. We’ll see later on this summer how the team looks and what they want to do, what the plan is. But right now I think everything is so fresh. … I think we all need that time to reflect. I’m very thankful for the year that I lived. … It’s been better than it looked from the outside for me, personally.”
Analysis: Gasol is technically not a free agent, but there were rumors last offseason of him retiring or going back to Spain to play, and those rumors are likely going to re-emerge.
Gasol is best-suited to be a backup center who helps run the bench offense and the non-LeBron minutes at this stage of his career. But his future in Los Angeles is somewhat murky. His projected role on next season’s team will likely be the deciding factor in whether he returns.
Montrezl Harrell
Contract status: Player option for 2021-22 ($9.72 million)
Quote: “I came in every day and did my job. I did what they ask me to do. And I played my role, simple as that. As far as my future, I don’t know what that holds right now. We just finished playing last night. I can’t give you that answer right now.”
Analysis: Harrell sounded like a player that isn’t sure if he wants to return to the Lakers, despite the uncertainty of his market value after two consecutive subpar postseason performances. He is clearly a floor-raiser in the regular season, but there is a limit to his impact on a winning team. Harrell has been relentlessly targeted defensively in four straight playoff series. He had a negative net rating in all four series, too.
He is a backup center who should be more of a 10th or 11th man on a contender, cut from the rotation when it matters most. If he remains with the Lakers, they need a playoff contingency plan, such as a third center who doesn’t expect consistent minutes. Harrell’s mid-sized contract could be of value to Los Angeles on the trade market.
Wesley Matthews
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “There’s no question in my mind, in my heart, that I want to run it back.”
Analysis: Matthews made it clear he wants to be a Laker next season. He didn’t live up to expectations, but he progressed throughout the season and showed he can still be the ninth guy on a contender.
He’s due for regression to the mean as a shooter — his 33.5 percent 3-point shooting was the worst mark of his career by nearly three percent — and he was arguably the most improved Laker after the All-Star break. Even when the 12-year veteran’s shot isn’t falling, Matthews is tough, experienced and can defend multiple positions.
Markieff Morris
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “As far as coming back next year, man, of course. There’s nowhere else I would rather be. I feel like this is home for me. … This is definitely where I want to be, man. I think we got a good shot of running it back next year. I think I will be here, man. I think if everything lines up the way it’s supposed to, I’ll be back next year.”
Analysis: Morris wants to re-sign, too. He dropped off a bit in 2020-21, especially as a 3-point shooter (31.1 percent), which is the skill that made him so valuable in 2019-20 (40.0 percent in the 2020 playoffs).
His ability to defend fours, fives and even some threes makes him a useful defensive piece that can be deployed in different lineups. He’s an ideal frontcourt partner for Davis, as he allows Davis to play his natural position of center, while handling some of the dirty work Davis isn’t always fond of. He looks more like a fringe rotation player at this point of his career, but Morris still serves a purpose as a fourth or fifth big.
Ben McLemore
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “We’ll see. It’s a business. We’ll see how things go. But, obviously, my time here was amazing. I appreciate Rob and Frank giving me the opportunity to be on this great, big platform with the Lakers, and playing with this group of guys, who are amazing.”
Analysis: McLemore is a candidate to fill out the back end of the roster, though it would also make sense for him to seek out more minutes on another team. He didn’t play much in the postseason, with his lack of offensive versatility and poor defense rendering him a tricky fit.
He has value in the regular season as an innings-eater, similar to Harrell, but he’s not a playoff rotation player. He makes some sense on a veteran’s minimum contract as a break-in-case-of-emergency 3-point shooter on a roster that desperately needs shooting, but he doesn’t move the needle much either way.
Jared Dudley
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent
Quote: “One thousand percent. Come on, they need me, man. They need me like I need them. Come on.”
Analysis: Dudley is correct in that both sides clearly need each other. He is the Lakers’ chemist — he sets the tone chemistry-wise. He’s Los Angeles’ version of Udonis Haslem.
However, whether that role should be on the coaching staff or front office vs. on the roster is up for debate. The Lakers can’t really afford to waste valuable roster spots on players that aren’t rotation-worthy, even if they boost morale in the locker room. It wouldn’t be surprising if the soon-to-be-36-year-old is retained for next season, but the Lakers are probably better-served with 15 playable guys.
Alfonzo McKinnie
Contract status: Non-guaranteed for 2021-22 ($1.91 million)
Quote: “They just told me they like how I stay ready. Knowing that whenever my number was called, just being ready. I mean, that’s something I take pride in. … It’s been a learning experience for me. I’m appreciative of that.”
Analysis: McKinnie had a few respectable moments this season, but was never able to crack the rotation. He’s a defensive-minded energy wing, and there are limitations to that role, especially in the context of a championship roster.
The Lakers could do worse with their 14th or 15th roster spot, but they will likely prioritize a player with greater upside or a stronger primary skill. Even if it’s just for optionality, and they plan on re-signing, the Lakers will likely waive McKinnie’s non-guaranteed contract.