Heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers retained only five players from last year’s roster, and the oldest of the five is only 23. As a result, the front office was on a mission this summer to sign veterans who could make an important contribution on the court while also mentoring the younger players.
Attempting to fill a similar niche the past few years, the team brought in veterans like Carlos Boozer, Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, Corey Brewer, Nick Young, Ronnie Price, Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng. In their time with the Lakers, none was very successful on the court.