Lakers Make Sneaky PERFECT Signing…

The Lakers just made a sneaky perfect signing as they just landed one of the most underrated players available in free agency who could make a night one impact on this team and are more moves actually on the way as the Lakers still have to round out the rest of the roster and answer some very important questions and welcome to Lakers Digest. My name is Hunter Pitkoff and we cover everything surrounding your Los Angeles Lakers whether it be different rumors, reports, breaking news, as well as different signings, trades, and now Summer League. We're not really covering that too much anymore, but we did during the period of when those games were happening, but anything surrounding your Lakers, just hit that Subscribe button so you don't miss a thing here on this channel. Before we get into today's report and the implications it has on the Lakers moving forward, this video is sponsored. Sorry, I'm burping guys. This video is sponsored to you by PrizePix. Now, PrizePix is America's number one SportsPix app. It's also the best way to get in on all of the action. We're going to make some picks later on in this video through PrizePix, so stick around if you want to see that, but in the meantime, if you're looking to sign up, this is all you have to do. Just use that link down below in our description and that promo code right on your screen digest to sign up today because when you do, new users get $50 instantly when playing your first 5 bucks, but look, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a busy summer and I think more moves can be had, especially when LeBron James, that news gets announced where he's going to go and the trickle-down effect he'll have on the rest of the NBA, but we know he's not going to the Lakers. So, what are the Lakers due to get some wing reinforcement to answer that question today as free agent forward Matisse Theibel, formerly of the Portland Trailblazers, has agreed to a one-year $3.3 million contract, the vet minimum, to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. This was a guy who was rumored to be linked with the Lakers. We have made several videos on Matisse Theibel and the fit that he presents and trust me guys, this is exactly the type of low-risk, high-reward player that the Lakers needed to go for. Theibel, a two-time all-defensive team member, spoke with JJ Redick and Luka Doncic about the Lakers desire to sign him and his role during free agency and chose the opportunity on Monday. Now, Theibel shot 41.8% from 3 over the last 2 years across 45 games, which again, we'll get into later in the video why that is important to know that number, and led the NBA in steals and deflections per 36 minutes last season among players that play at least 20 contests per ESPN Research. And so, on top of that as well, here are just some of the numbers that Theibel posted throughout his career last season. Again, the number of games is a big reason why he's only going for the vet minimum because if you're seeing a guy who has that level of 3-point shooting and that level of defensive chops, you would think this is not a vet minimum guy and he's not even 30 years old. But the reason why is because of the games played. He has had a very hard time staying on the court over the last 2 seasons dealing with a ton of injuries and so that's been a big reason why. While he has developed his offensive game quite a bit, it has really just been such a limited sample size that we don't necessarily know what level of shooter he actually is, but we do know for a fact that this guy, like Deshawn's report has said, even despite the fact that he hasn't played many games, he is a really damn good defensive player and he's a big stocks guy. Blocks plus steals. You see that here across this. He's averaging close to a block per game throughout a lot of his career and also the steals as well. He was like this ever since he played at the University of Washington. He has brought this to Philadelphia as well as the Portland Trailblazers. So you're definitely getting a guy on the wing who has the defensive ability to be a plug and play guy on that end of the floor and provide really valuable minutes, especially as the Lakers are looking for answers right now at that wing position. Bringing someone in like Matisse-Thibault is a very good move to make, especially on that contract as the Lakers now need to find some bargains like a Zaire-Williams and now Matisse-Thibault and then Kevon Looney, some of the unrestricted vet minimum contracts that they have signed. So far this season, but that brings us to our next point because more moves have to be coming for the Los Angeles Lakers and there is an array of reasons why. So for one, this signing places the Lakers roster at 16 guaranteed salaries. The Lakers have until opening night in late October to explore trades to trim the roster. So somebody by default has to just not be on the roster, right? So they're going to have to either cut somebody or trade someone or we'll see what that is, but they're going to have to make a move here at some point. Also here, the Lakers are signing Arthur Kalouma, someone who was a summer league standout, but he's signed to a two-way deal. So this does not affect his standing with the Lakers 15 roster. They get three two-way guys that does not count toward that 15-man roster. So it's going to be Arthur Kalouma and then right now before we found this out, it was either Chris Mannion, A.K. O'Karakeh, as well as Peter Suter were the three two-way guys that the Lakers had on their contract. They're going to have to get rid of at least one of those guys. Now I don't think it's Chris Mannion. He was the only two-way player they returned from last season. He looked really good in summer league. I don't think it's him and if I had to guess, I don't think it's A.K. O'Karakeh either. He showed some good promise, good size, good defensive ability, especially at the rim. He can rebound and he can shoot the three. I think it's Peter Suter. This guy did not play at all in the Lakers final summer league game as they were playing their best players. They did not think that that was one of their best players. I think he's most likely the one that's going to get put on the chopping block and not be on a two-way contract. Doesn't mean he can't be on the Coachella Valley Lakers, the G League team, but it probably means that. That's my guess. I'm going to double check my phone now. See if we got any sort of update. We did not. So again, as of this recording, we don't know who that third guy is that got removed. Maybe the Lakers aren't making that decision yet, but we do know that they are going to sign Arthur Kuluba to one of those contracts and very well-deserved. My co-host, Okechi Opakuma, is going to make a video later on this really breaking down what this move means more in-depth, so just be on the lookout for that, but also here too. Dan Woelke reporting for The Athletic. He covers the Lakers for The Athletic saying that Jonathan Kaminga, his momentum is stalled with sides far apart on terms and the Lakers not motivated to put significant draft capital into sign-in trades. The Cavs are also connected to Kaminga and the Lakers are still monitoring market for big men. So, this kind of suggests that the Lakers are not done. They believe that there are more moves to be had on this roster, whether it's Kaminga or not. If they're going to get Kaminga, it has to be a sign-in trade and of course, that means the Lakers have to give up at least two players in that deal most likely in order to make that happen. The Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that is waiting perhaps to land LeBron James if they do not get LBJ to come back to Cleveland, Ohio. Perhaps, they're going to look towards a Jonathan Kaminga move and then still monitoring a big man. That means that the Lakers, they might not be done right now. They, again, as the roster is currently constructed, have 16 guys. I don't think this is actually updated. I didn't see Zyra Williams when I took this screenshot. He officially signed his deal on Monday, but still, this is generally what it's going to look like and so, I think the Lakers still are going to be busy trying to make some moves here whether it's for Kaminga or not or it could be for a different forward. I hope it's PJ Washington, but we will see exactly what they're looking to do and while the Lakers and the NBA games are not going to be going on until October now with the conclusion of Summer League, you can still make some picks on prize picks though on other sports that aren't the NBA. Right now, the WNBA is going on right now and you can make some also live picks as well, which is pretty cool. Right now, this game might be done by the time you're watching this, but Awa Pham right now, she's projected to have six and a half rebounds. She had so far four already by the time I made this video and if you look over her last five games, she's gotten over seven a game pretty much and so, she's hit this number in each of the last three and right now, she had four, I think, at the start of the second. So, I think she can get at least three more and get more than what her number currently is projected. You see that green little goblin of a gremlin? Those suggest that maybe you should make that pick and that is trending in that direction and then Klause Johnson as well, one of the most popular players in the W. We know that she is a prolific scorer, has been since she was hooping down there in Baton Rouge at LSU. Right now, she's projected to have 23 and a half points while she's only hit that over her last game. She had, I believe, about 14 or 16 at the start of this one, so I think that she has the opportunity to keep that going and keep up the hot hands, but again, if you want to make those picks, different picks with the WNBA, different picks on different sports, you can do that through PrizePicks. It's super simple to sign up. Just use the link down below in our description and that promo code right on your screen digest to sign up today because when you do, new users get $50 instantly when playing your first five bucks and if you're going to be on PrizePicks, of course, just be responsible with your money while using the platform, but to keep up with everything surrounding your Los Angeles Lakers, different rumors, reports, as well as breaking news, different signings and trades, anything in between surrounding your Purple and Gold, just hit that Subscribe button so you don't miss a thing here on Lakers Digest.