Why These four players won’t be returning to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have consistently been a topic of discussion even though their season ended on April 29 at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers had a checklist of things to do as they prepare for the 2024-25 season. The biggest domino was hiring a new head coach to replace Darvin Ham but that just became official on June 20 as they named J.J. Redick as the new lead man.

The next thing they need to do is re-sign LeBron James but that shouldn’t be a problem now.

The Lakers still need to revamp the roster so that means multiple players who were on the 2023-24 roster won’t be back next season.

Below we’ll discuss four players who won’t return to the City of Angels next season.

4. Taurean Prince

Forward Taurean Prince signed a one-year deal worth $4.5 million last offseason. It was believed that Prince would be a lengthy wing who could space the floor with his jumper offensively while being a disruptive defender.

That wasn’t the case as Prince was inconsistent all throughout the season. The Baylor product played in 78 games, including 49 starts but he averaged 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

He shot 44% from the field and a respectable 39.6% from beyond the arc but that wasn’t good enough. Prince had a problem being an effective defender and his offensive skillset wasn’t good enough to overcome that.

Prince was also a non-factor in the first-round series against the Nuggets, averaging just 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and shot 41% from the field but 29.4% from 3-point land.

The Lakers are better off using the money they gave to Prince to add someone else this offseason.

3. D’Angelo Russell

The Los Angeles Lakers were so happy to add guard D’Angelo Russell to the team back in 2023. It was a breath of fresh air after Los Angeles just went through the Russell Westbrook experiment.

Russell was sent to the Lakers as part of a three-team trade that involved the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell isn’t known for his athleticism but rather as a floor-spacing floor general.

The Ohio State product was at his best when he was knocking down perimeter jumpers and getting his teammates involved.

This past season, Russell averaged 18 points, 6.3 assists, and shot a career-high 41.5% from beyond the arc. Despite all the regular season success during the 2023-24 campaign, Russell once again shrunk in the postseason.

In the sweep to the Nuggets, Russell averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 assists but shot terribly from the floor. He finished with a 38.4 shooting percentage from the field and a measly 31.8% from 3-point land.

In addition to his bad offensive showing, he was a complete non-factor on the defensive end.

Adding more fuel to the fire, this was Russell’s second bad playoff series against the Nuggets. In the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the 28-year-old logged 6.3 points, two rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 32% from the field and a putrid 13% from downtown.

These numbers are unacceptable and make him unplayable for certain matchups. With LeBron James turning 40 years old next season and Anthony Davis being 31, the Lakers can’t afford to have Russell produce another postseason stinker.

He’s going to be a free agent this summer and his time in Los Angeles has run it’s course.

2. Spencer Dinwiddie

This was another move that sounded good in theory but didn’t work out on the floor. Guard Spencer Dinwiddie signed with the Lakers back in February after clearing waivers. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors but was quickly released after that.

He was brought over to be an active ball handler and shot creator off the bench but that just didn’t work. The Colorado product struggled to get into an offensive flow while his defense has always been questionable.

In 28 games with the Lakers, he put up 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Meanwhile, he shot just 39.7% from the floor.

Dinwiddie, 31, wasn’t a good fit in Los Angeles and the Lakers will be looking to get younger and more athletic in the backcourt.

1. Christian Wood

The Lakers and forward Christian Wood agreed to terms on a two-year, $5.7 million deal back in September. In March, he picked up his player option for next season. But don’t read too much into it, as he is only slated to make $3 million next season.

Wood missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 season with a knee injury that forced him to get arthroscopic surgery.

When he came back, he never looked the same which was a disappointment. The Lakers brought him in, particularly for his offensive skillset but that part of his game seemed to have vanished.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Wood averaged double-digit points for five straight seasons on three different teams.

Once he put on a Lakers uniform, things just looked off. In 50 games, he averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and shot 30.7% from 3-point land.

With Redick now in the fold, the Lakers will be hard-pressed to reshape this roster. They’ll be active on the trade market and Wood’s name is someone that will be thrown in there. I can easily see the Lakers attaching Wood in any deal to free up the cap space and the roster spot.

Not all free-agent signings will work and that’s okay. But there comes a time when you should move on and that time is now for the Lakers regarding Wood.