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The Los Angeles Lakers have gone bargain shopping with the bulk of their offseason work behind them. They’ve agreed to terms on two minimum signings in the last week, with the first being Ziaire Williams from the Brooklyn Nets, and the latest being Matisse Thybulle from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Both players bring defense, athleticism and a steadily improving 3-point shot to the wing position. Williams’ 3-point percentage has improved in each of the last three seasons. But in order to be sure that increase in percentages is real, the Lakers reportedly hosted the 24-year-old in Las Vegas for a workout, via NBA insider Marc Stein:
The clincher that cemented the Lakers’ one-year minimum deal to sign former lottery pick Ziaire Williams that was formally announced Sunday?
I’m told that a four-person Lakers contingent — with assistant coaches Nate McMillan and Greg St. Jean joining lead executive Rob Pelinka and senior adviser Kurt Rambis — went to watch the 6-foot-9 Williams at a private workout at trainer Joe Abunassar’s Impact Basketball gym in Las Vegas to gauge the state of Williams’ game and recent efforts to sharpen his perimeter shooting.
The Lakers were severely lacking in size and defensive intensity along the perimeter after their slew of major signings, but it was clear the team was not done adding. Williams represented the first true wing defender the team has added in several years, even though he is not a traditionally elite point-of-attack defender.
However, to get him on a minimum contract and to see what he had to offer in person is both great value and a show of confidence from the team to the player and vice versa.
Williams is currently projected to come off the bench for the Lakers as one of their primary backups, but time will tell what the exact rotation winds up being. The team appears to still be in the market for a starting-level forward, although it remains to be seen if they will be able to obtain that.
Lakers also spoke with Matisse Thybulle before signing
L.A. sent a different contingent — in the form of head coach JJ Redick and superstar Luka Doncic — to speak with Thybulle before landing him on a one-year minimum contract.
Thybulle has had some health issues in recent years, but is no doubt the archetype of player the Lakers are desperately missing. If he remains healthy, he should play a massive role for L.A. as a defensive stopper and three-point shooter next to Doncic and Austin Reaves.
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