With all the cap space and roster spots that are expected to be available for the Lakers, one of these types of players is bound to end up in Los Angeles. This year’s candidate could be Ochai Agbaji.<\/p>\n
Lakers could try to unlock the undelivered upside of Ochai Agbaji<\/p>\n
The Lakers could have already taken a swing at Agbaji before the 2026 trade deadline. The former Toronto Raptors wing was traded in a cap dump move<\/a> to the Brooklyn Nets. Ochai showed some promise with his new team<\/a> in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n After struggling with his 3-point shot in Toronto, Agbaji started hot in Brooklyn before regressing a touch to a mediocre but still improved percentage of 34.9 from deep with the Nets. There may have been just enough there for a team to take a shot on him in free agency.<\/p>\n As things stand, Agbaji would be a restricted free agent for the Nets, if they tender him. Should Brooklyn not feel the need and prefer to use their cap space elsewhere, the 25-year-old could be unrestricted.<\/p>\n Agbaji fits Pelinka’s pattern of risk-taking. He’s a former lottery pick from the 2022 NBA Draft that has not quite panned out, but still offers a level of intrigue.<\/p>\n The defense and athleticism with Agbaji is solid. His biggest swing skill at this crossroads of his career would be his shooting.<\/p>\n Agbaji flashed the ability to shoot 39.9 percent on 2.6 attempts per game from deep in 2024-25 with the Raptors. That type of success has not been closely matched in any of his other seasons. <\/p>\n His rookie season with the Utah Jazz, in which he shot 35.5 percent on 3.9 attempts from triple, comes closest. However, Agbaji now also has two seasons of shooting under 30 percent from 3-point land.<\/p>\n If the Lakers believe this is a jumper they can fix, they could add a cost-effective wing to a team that will need 3-and-D players around Luka Doncic. That makes Agbaji an ideal low-risk, high-reward gamble for Los Angeles in the summer.<\/p>\n
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