{"id":142738,"date":"2025-05-31T15:34:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T19:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=142738"},"modified":"2025-05-31T15:34:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T19:34:33","slug":"lakers-free-agency-nickeil-alexander-walker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/31\/lakers-free-agency-nickeil-alexander-walker\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers Favored to Land Rival&#8217;s Standout Shooting Guard"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While most of the Lakers\u2019 attention is on adding capable <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/28\/report-lakers-could-lose-starter-to-free-agency\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">centers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and wings this offseason, there are several <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/22\/lakers-insider-suggests-two-free-agent-guards-to-pursue\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guards<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they could add to their backcourt. One potential favorite comes from a familiar playoff foe who could be in line for a pay raise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Lakers Favored to Land Rival&#8217;s Standout Shooting Guard<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>LAL Betting Favorites for Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to odds posted by the betting site <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1928612994029682880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bovada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Lakers are the favorites to land free agent guard <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alexani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (+235) if he doesn\u2019t re-sign with the Timberwolves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cousin of this year\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/21\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-named-the-mvp\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MVP<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, NAW showcased his 3&amp;D skill set for Minnesota. Playing all 82 games (10 starts), he put up 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on .438\/.381\/.780 splits. The postseason was a rollercoaster for him scoring-wise, with some efficient, high-level performances mixed with underwhelming duds. Case in point, Alexander-Walker dropped a playoff career-high 23 points (9\/15 FG, 5\/8 3PT, 4\/7 FT) in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/27\/timberwolves-falter-game-4-loss\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before going scoreless (0\/8 FG, 0\/4 3PT, 0\/4 FT) in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/29\/timberwolves-future-devasting-playoff-elimination\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wolves\u2019 season-ending Game 5 loss<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. All in all, he rounded out his fourth career playoff series with averages of 8.3 points and 2.3 rebounds on .389\/.349\/.882 splits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nickeil Alexander-Walker Scores POSTSEASON CAREER-HIGH 23 Points Vs. OKC | 05.26.25\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_i-6T_WQuZo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lakers beat writer Dan Woike recently <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/newsletter\/2025-05-29\/bargain-deals-offseason\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that going after \u201cbargain deals\u201d could be a solid strategy this offseason, citing Alexander-Walker\u2019s impact on the Timberwolves and how that could land him a well-deserved payday. As one executive told Woike, \u201cFind the man before he becomes the man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/2025\/05\/29\/brian-windhorst-i-dont-think-timberwolves-can-keep-julius-randle-nickeil-alexander-walker-and-naz-reid\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the Wolves may not be able to keep NAW, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/randlju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Julius Randle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reidna01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naz Reid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have some believing the sixth-year guard could be the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/timberwolves\/minnesota-timberwolves-news\/is-nickeil-alexander-walkers-timberwolves-exit-inevitable\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">odd one out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which has opened the door for potential suitors around the league.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SneakerReporter\/status\/1928099415216058810\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alexander-Walker said<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> he hasn\u2019t thought about free agency at all, but added that spending time with his \u201ccircle\u201d will only help his decision: \u201cBecause now I can go into it with a clear mind, with some peace of mind, and have a sitdown with my agents and really figure out what\u2019s best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Alexander-Walker and the Lakers: Potential Fit and Cost<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker would boost a Lakers second unit that was bereft of scoring throughout the season, particularly in the playoffs. The team\u2019s bench was <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/traditional?SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StarterBench=Bench&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=PTS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">second-to-last in points per game<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (26.2) in the regular season, a number that only <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/traditional?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;StarterBench=Bench&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=PTS\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dwindled in the postseason<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (11 PPG, dead last in the league). Alexander-Walker <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask?q=nickel+alexander-walker+stats+vs+lakers+2025+playoffs\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">struggled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against the Lakers but found some light deeper in the playoffs. If the purple and gold are looking for proven performers to enhance their title hopes, NAW could be their guy.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_142745\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-142745\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-142745 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) dunks for the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/USATSI_26057418_168402037_lowres.jpg 1947w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-142745\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) dunks for the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only problem, as Woike alluded to, is finances. The Lakers\u2019 ability to sign Alexander-Walker (or any solid free agent, for that matter) comes down to what their current players do this summer. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LeBron James<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/27\/shams-lebron-likely-player-option-lakers\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to pick up his $53 million player option, but the team would likely need him and\/or <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/finnedo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dorian Finney-Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to take a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.silverscreenandroll.com\/2025\/5\/30\/24427317\/lebron-james-lakers-contract-extension-option-pay-cut-nba-free-agency-offseason\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pay cut<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to access the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That would give LA $14.1 million to spend on one quality addition or between multiple players. If the Lakers manage to trade for a starting center, that would free them up to pursue help at other positions of need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no intel on how much money NAW can get on his next deal, but the Lakers should put themselves in a position to sign him\u2014maybe not to $14 million a year, but to a worthy contract for a valuable rotation piece.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While most of the Lakers\u2019 attention is on adding capable centers and wings this offseason, there are several guards they could add to their backcourt. One potential favorite comes from a familiar playoff foe who could be in line for a pay raise. Lakers Favored to Land Rival&#8217;s Standout Shooting Guard LAL Betting Favorites for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":142741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,21,62,3],"tags":[2272,38,947],"class_list":["post-142738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-timberwolves","category-nba","category-news","tag-dorian-finney-smith","tag-lebron-james","tag-nickeil-alexander-walker"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142738"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142750,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142738\/revisions\/142750"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}