The Los Angeles Lakers checked a handful of boxes on the opening day of free agency.

They retained an integral scorer, interior presence, and building block in Rui Hachimura. They added hard-nosed point guard Gabe Vincent, a lead ballhandler who can create offense from the backcourt with playoff chops. Taurean Prince — at one year, $4.5 million — brings size, versatility, and above-average shooting from the wing. They took a flyer on high-upside 23-year-old Cam Reddish, an elite athlete at 6'8, on a minimum contract.

The Lakers had to say auf Wiedersehen to Dennis Schroder and triggered the hard cap ($172.3 million) by using their bi-annual exception on Prince, but they can still sign Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell while remaining under the second tax apron. Running it back remains the organization's plan, so we're going to assume the Reaves and Russell deals get done over the next few days.

At that point, with three roster spots available for minimum contracts (although the Lakers typically keep a spot open), the Lakers' initial 2023-24 depth chart would look like this:

  • Center: Anthony Davis, Colin Castleton (two-way)
  • Forward: LeBron James, Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Prince, Reddish, Cole Swider (two-way)
  • Guard: Reaves, Russell, Vincent, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, D'Moi Hodge (two-way)

Two things jump out. One is youth. Even excluding the three two-way guys — who are subject to change and will mostly hoop in the G-League — everybody besides LeBron, AD, and Prince is 27 or younger.

That aside, the lack of depth behind Davis is glaring. Castleton was a dominant rim protector at Florida, but the Lakers can't wade too much longer into free agency without signing at least one big. The Lakers have used minimum contracts on the likes of Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Damian Jones, Wenyen Gabriel, Thomas Bryant, and Tristan Thompson in recent years.

There are decent options on the market. Not needle-movers, but large bodies who can spell AD during the season, at least until they strike a trade closer to the deadline (Bryant's torrid stretch when Davis was injured helped keep the Lakers afloat during tough times last season).

Thompson, Gabriel, and Mo Bamba are candidates to return. The Lakers appreciated Thompson's leadership during the postseason and were impressed by his readiness to aptly check Nikola Jokic in Game 4 of the conference finals. He's a Klutch client with a close personal relationship and championship-winning history with LeBron.

Gabriel was a nifty find by the Lakers' scouting department late in 2021-22. He doesn't have the girth to bang with every center, but his relentless motor — especially on the glass — often sparked momentum during the regular season. (He's also a human being you want in your building.)

The Lakers traded Patrick Beverley for Bamba at the deadline and genuinely viewed the 25-year-old as an enticing addition — a 7'0 shot-blocker who shoots 36% from 3. Unfortunately, Bamba sprained his ankle in March and barely played. The organization waived his non-guaranteed $10.3 million contract but is apparently open to bringing him back at the minimum.

A few other folks who could feasibly accept the vet min: Bismack Biyombo, Robin Lopez, Alex Len, Serge Ibaka, Dewayne Dedmon, Cody Zeller, Gorgui Dieng.

Update: Since this post was published, the Lakers signed ex-New Orleans Pelicans big Jaxson Hayes to a two-year minimum contract.