Lakers News: Expert Projects Free Agent Future Of Lonnie Walker IV

How much will the swingman make this summer?

The sheer amount of impending impact free agents will be a significant story for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, with Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder and others set to hit the market.

One of the team's more under-the-radar free agents is Lonnie Walker IV.

Walker had what can certainly be described as a nontraditional year for the Lakers in 2022-2023.

He began it as a starter, then shifted to the bench, followed that up by losing his spot in the rotation entirely after a roster overhaul at the trade deadline, only to return at the most unlikely of times -- and come up huge for his team in the process.

Walker was key in the 4th quarter for the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Warriors, and for the game he tallied 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting in a 104-101 win, a performance that got him back in the good graces of head coach Darvin Ham and put the Lakers up 3-1 in the series.

Now he'll head into free agency off that momentum, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic had this to say on the HoopsHype Podcast about Walker's prospects on the market:

"Lonnie’s situation is a bit of a tricky one. First, there’s the Klutch Sports connection, which is always a factor with any Lakers guys," Buha said. "He played really well in the first half of the season. The second half of the season, they started Austin and brought in Malik Beasley. Troy Brown was playing well, and Lonnie fell out of the rotation. In Game 4 against the Warriors, he potentially saved the Lakers’ season. I think that playoff performance and him re-emerging in the rotation bumps him up into that mini mid-level range again or the bi-annual exception on him. I think he’s in that $4-7 million range.

"In his exit interviews, he made it clear he thinks highly of himself. He’s very confident. He wants a big role. From the Lakers’ side, they have his non-Bird Rights. I think he’s probably looking more at his role in his next contract that he’ll prioritize. I suspect he’ll end up elsewhere at a place where he can start or be a sixth or seventh man."

As Buha said, Walker's situation isn't as clear cut as say Reaves or Hachimura. Although from a financial standpoint, bringing Walker back on a modest deal could work, the team can't offer him a consistent role off the bench, especially if they do end up bringing back a host of their free agents.

Despite his impressive playoff performance, the Lakers would be better served by letting Walker go -- and Walker will likely be able to find a bigger role for himself elsewhere.

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